Knights of the Neverending Story
by Bobbydrake2000
Summary: Bastian Balthazar Bux is now 16 and leads a boring life as Coreander's apprentice. When AURYN beckons him, Bastian finds himself on a whole new adventure going beyond Fantasia and into new worlds such as Oz, Neverland, and other new places, making new friends, and fighting new enemies who want the power of AURYN for themselves. Ongoing series.
1. The Story Continues

There are infinite stories to be told, each one more interesting than the last. Whether this tale is more interesting than the last one you read is up to you. What was the last world you visited in a book? Did you spend time with King Arthur and his knights? Did you visit a magical wizarding school? Maybe a trip to Narnia? Or perhaps you had an adventure with a young boy named Bastian Balthazar Bux, the hero of the fantastical world of Fantasia.

If indeed you did just return from an adventure with Bastian, you might be interested to know that you're about to take another trip with him. And although you might have been on your adventure with him as early as yesterday, it has been nearly three years since Bastian's return from that magical land, so if you don't recognize him right away, hopefully you soon will.

* * *

Bastian Balthazar Bux was on the verge of turning 16 years old, and in the three years since he'd learned of the world of Fantasia, he'd lost a lot of the weight that made him a chubby 12 year old. He'd grown out his hair a bit, grew several inches, and become a more avid reader to the point where he was spending so much time at Mr. Correander's book store that the old man had finally offered the young man a job last summer.

It wasn't the most glamorous job in the world, just keeping inventory, some light dusting and making sure every book was in its proper place. But it kept him busy and he had a chance to visit different worlds during his free time.

Bastian had read through every book in the library at least three times. Every book that is, except for the Neverending Story. He'd only read through that book once, having saved the characters within from a horrible entity known as the Nothing. As a token for his heroic deeds, the Childlike Empress had presented Bastian with AURYN, a medallion with two intertwining serpents that he got to keep as a reminder of his journey.

Of course, any power AURYN might have had has long since faded. I'm also completely sure that this fact won't be disproved later on this tale.

"Bastian, have you finished with the inventory yet?" Old Man Cooreander asked as he emerged from his office, a cup of tea in his hand. It was nice having Bastian around to do the things that the older man could no longer do around the store. It was Correander's hope that someday Bastian would take over the reigns of the bookstore completely. The old man didn't trust many people, but he trusted Bastian, at least enough to realize that his life's work would be in good hands on the day he could no longer run things.

"Just finishing now, sir," Bastian said as he stamped the last book. "I just have to put them on the shelf."

"After that, you're free to go for the night," Correander told the boy. "I'll see you on Sunday."

"But it's Thursday, I can work tomorrow and Saturday, and even Monday. It's a four-day weekend," Bastian told him as he picked up a stack of books, carrying them to the shelf.

"Exactly, I think you need a break. Some time off to just be a boy," Correander told him as he took another sip from his cup. As much as he enjoyed the young man's company, and wanted Bastian to someday run the store, he didn't want to see him wasting his youth indoors all the time. "You've been a loyal ]employee for the last year, coming in every day, even when there was no work to do."

"This place feels like home to me," Bastian replied as he placed the last book on the shelf as if he were tucking it into bed for the night. "I can't imagine not being able to come here."

"But you're a young lad. When's the last time you played outside? Ran barefoot through the grass, or just lay in a field and stare up at the clouds?" Correander asked, remembering back to his own childhood. "I do enjoy your company, Bastian, but I do believe you need to enjoy your childhood while you have it. Go home, enjoy yourself and I'll see you on Sunday."

"But- but I- Can't I just-" Bastian said as he was ushered to the door against his will, grabbing a random book along the way. Before he could get out a complete sentence, he was out on the street, with the door closed behind him. As soon as he turned around, he found the 'closed' sign staring him in the face.

* * *

Bastian returned home to his empty house, having not seen his father's car in the driveway. He was probably still at the office, working late as usual. With the bad economy, Barney Bux had to work even longer hours to make ends meet. While Bastian had offered up his earnings from the bookstore to help with the bills, his father refused. He told Bastian that was his hard earned money, which was to be put back for his own personal use.

Leaving his backpack on the couch, and his jacket slung over the chair, Bastian headed to the kitchen to get himself a snack before heading up to his room to get in a few chapters of the book he'd borrowed before bed.

Having filled his stomach, Bastian headed upstairs to lay down and get in a few chapters of the book before bed. As he walked past his dresser, the AURYN had caught his eye. It was hanging from a hook on the wall, having not been touched in a very long time. Not since the night he returned from his trip to Fantasia. The Childlike Empress's gift held a special place in his heart, and he always feared losing it if he ever wore it out in public, so on the hook it remained, lifeless and unmoving.

At least, that was what Bastian had assumed. But both you and I know better, don't we?

As Bastian passed the dresser, AURYN seemed shinier than usual. As if it had been newly polished. The two intertwined serpents forming a circle seemed to have a faint glow to them all of a sudden. Bastian took AURYN off its hook and placed it around his neck, deciding it was finally time to wear it again, even if it held no power. It was as if he'd felt compelled to wear it, like a voice calling out to him to take it off the hook and place it on his body.

Climbing on to his bed, Bastian reached into his backpack and pulled out the book he'd *borrowed* from Correander's bookshop. It wasn't the Neverending Story, that was safely back at store, waiting for its turn to be read again.

"The adventures of Tom Sawyer," Bastian said as he opened the book.

_"TOM!"_

_No answer._

_"TOM!"_

_No answer._

_"What's gone with that boy, I wonder? You TOM!"_

_No answer._

_The old lady pulled her spectacles down and looked over them about the room; then she put them up and looked out under them. She seldom or never looked through them for so small a thing as a boy; they were her state pair, the pride of her heart, and were built for "style," not service—she could have seen through a pair of stove-lids just as well. She looked perplexed for a moment, and then said, not fiercely, but still loud enough for the furniture to hear:_

_"Well, I lay if I get hold of you I'll—"_

_She did not finish, for by this time she was bending down and punching under the bed with the broom, and so she needed breath to punctuate the punches with. She resurrected nothing but the cat._

_"I never did see the beat of that boy!"_

_She went to the open door and stood in it and looked out among the tomato vines and "jimpson" weeds that constituted the garden. No Tom. So she lifted up her voice at an angle calculated for distance and shouted:_

_"Y-o-u-u TOM!"_

_There was a slight noise behind her and she turned just in time to seize a small boy by the slack of his roundabout and arrest his flight._

_"There! I might 'a' thought of that closet. What you been doing in there?"_

_"Nothing."_

_"Nothing! Look at your hands. And look at your mouth. What is that truck?"_

_"I don't know, aunt."_

_"Well, I know. It's jam—that's what it is. Forty times I've said if you didn't let that jam alone I'd skin you. Hand me that switch."_

_The switch hovered in the air—the peril was desperate—_

_"My! Look behind you, aunt!"_

_The old lady whirled round, and snatched her skirts out of danger. The lad fled on the instant, scrambled up the high board-fence, and disappeared over it._

Bastian was instantly drawn into the book, and couldn't put it down. Chapter after chapter, he enjoyed the tale of Tom Sawyer, despite having read it at least twice before. But Bastian loved reading, and always took the chance to read whatever he could get his hands on, whether it was a book, a magazine, or the back of a cereal box.

After a while, Bastian's eyes began to get tired. He had been reading for the last two hours and it was getting pretty late. He couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, and fell asleep mid-sentence as the book fell on to his chest while the young man drifted off to sleep. As the book fell forward, AURYN began to glow brighter and brighter.

* * *

The second AURYN's power began to manifest, it immediately woke up something else that residing in a different land, far from Fantasia. Something evil, that had sensed AURYN and the powers it held. In a soft whisper, a pair of menacing emerald eyes opened.

"AURYN."

* * *

"What do you reckon?"

"He might be drunk, would explain what he's wearin',"

"What's with that hair? Is it a girl or a boy? I can't tell one way or the other."

"Don't know, but I ain't never seen no clothes like that,"

Bastian moaned slightly as he rolled over on to his side, expecting to feel the softness of his bed. Instead he got a face full of grass. He opened his eyes and sat up, seeing his was sitting outside in broad daylight. Surrounding him was a group of kids, all dressed like they'd stepped out of a Mark Twain novel. There wasn't a single modern fashion among them.

"Do you reckon he's a witch?" asked one of the kids.

"Where am I?" Bastian asked as he got to his feet. "What is this place?"

"This is St. Petersburg, stranger," one of the kids said. "I imagine you're a long way off from wherever it is you came from. That's a funny looking outfit you have on."

"I was about to say the same thing," Bastian told the kid as he started to stand up. He was still in the same clothes he fell asleep in, but the book he had in his hands was missing. "I don't even remember how I got here."

The school bell started ringing as all the kids let out a groan and wandered off to the schoolhouse. Only one child remained, the barefoot boy wearing a pair of blue overalls with a white shirt underneath, with brown curly hair that was in need of a trim.

"Where's everyone going?" Bastian asked.

"School," the young man replied, sizing Bastian up, wondering if he could take the guy in a fight.

"Aren't you supposed to be at school, too?" Bastian asked.

"Naw, I can miss a day or two, or maybe more. It won't cause nobody no harm," the boy told him. "The name's Tom Sawyer."

"Bastian Balthazar Bux," Bastian said the two shook hands. The second he heard the young man's name, Bastian realized what had happened. He touched his chest, feeling AURYN placed safely around his neck. "I need to find a way to get home."

"Hey, what's the funny necklace around your neck?" Tom asked, pointing to the intertwined serpents.

"It's AURYN," Bastian told him. "Wait! That's what pulled me in here! All I have to do is wish myself back home."

Bastian closed his eyes and concentrated, but nothing was happening. "Why isn't it working?"

"Maybe you should go lie down, you might be catching something if you think that fancy trinket can take you anywhere," Tom laughed.

"AURYN brought me here for a reason, I know it," Bastian told him. "Just like it brought me into the Neverending Story. Maybe Someone here needs my help, and I can't go home until I find out who."

"You mean like an adventure?" Tom asked with a devious smirk. "I think you came to the right place, but first you'd better get some new clothes. You stick out like a sore thumb in them things."

Bastian looked down at what he wearing and realized Tom was right. He was going to have to blend in if he wanted to get out of there and back to the real world. A short while later, Tom returned to find Bastian hiding in the cemetary, bringing him a shirt and pants. Bastian removed his clothes and hid them in a tree trunk before emerging in a pair of brown pants and a red button down shirt.

"You didn't bring me any shoes," Bastian told him as he stared down at his bare feet. "I can't wear my sneakers into town."

"You don't need shoes, its only a week away from summer," Tom replied. "Them things are only for fancy occasions, like school and church. Not that I wear them to those things unless my aunt forces me into them."

"Okay, whatever, let's just go," Bastian said as they started walking along as he tucked AURYN safely under his shirt. "So, what kind of people are there to help in this place? Did you already beat Injun Joe and free Muff Potter?"

"Now how in tarnation did you know about that?" Tom asked as he looked at the stranger. "Are you a witch?"

"I read it in a book," Bastian replied. "You're pretty popular back where I come from. I come from a place where your adventures are told in a book. I've read your story several times."

"You don't say," Tom said with a grin, not believing people would want to read about his adventures. "Come on, we gotta find Huck. Then we'll get to adventurin'."

* * *

Huckleberry Finn, a boy who was taller than Tom was sitting on a large rock that stared out into the river. He had long shaggy blonde hair and was wearing black pants and an unbuttoned blue shirt that was hanging open. He was tossing rocks across the water, trying to see how many times they would bounce on the water before falling in.

"Hey, Huck!" Tom shouted as he led Bastian to his partner in crime.

"Tom!" Huck said as he got off the rock. "Where the blazes have you been? I've been waitin' here for hours."

"I got caught up with our new friend," Tom told him. "This is Bastian, and he needs to have an adventure before he can go home."

"Well, I believe we can help him," Huck said as he shook Bastian's hand. "Should be plenty of adventures to keep up to our necks in trouble."

"Huck Finn!" Bastian said, nearly blushing. "I loved your book! The movies never did either of you guys justice."

"Movies? What the heck are movies?" Tom asked as he scratched his head.

"Nevermind," Bastian told him as he sat down on the rock. "This doesn't make sense. Why did I come in after the story was over?"

"Ain't you never read a book?" Tom asked. "Stories don't stop just because you reach the end. It'd be a pretty boring world if every story stopped at the end of the book."

"AURYN brought me here for a reason, and I need to find out what that reason is. Maybe there's a local library that where I can look at some newspapers to see if-" Bastian said as he heard Tom and Huck laughing. He looked up and found the two friends playing a game where they slapped each other's hands as hard as could before the other could pull away. "What are you guys doing?"

"Havin' fun, ain't you ever heard of it?" Tom asked as Huck slapped his hand before he could pull back.

"That... doesn't look like much fun," Bastian told them.

"Well, what do you consider fun?" Huck asked as he pulled his hand away before Tom got him.

"Well, reading, and enjoying stories," Bastian replied as the two boys just looked up at him.

"Is that it?" Tom asked. "Reading? You never go outside and have fun? That seems like the opposite of fun? What's the word for the opposite of fun, Huck?"

"... Not fun,"

"Well, it's how I enjoy myself," Bastian said as he turned his backs to them. "Now, where's the library-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the two boys dragged Bastian off into the woods by the arms.

* * *

In the large castle, several worlds away, a dark and sinister figure walked around the room, plotting a scheme, dragging a long emerald cloak around as the figure paced.

"I can feel it," the figure said. "The barrier between worlds is breaking down. Maybe not enough to do what I want, but just enough to get what I need. If I can breach the wall between this world and AURYN, I can get it. It has been so long since I've left this castle. But AURYN can fix everything. AURYN can give me the power I need to exact my vengeance. I just need someone to go fetch it for me."

* * *

Bastian fell to the ground as he heard laughing coming from the forest around him. "Tom? Huck?"

"Gotta find us!" Tom's voice said from the trees.

"What kind of game is this?" Bastian asked as he stood up.

"Hide &amp; Seek, dummy!" Huck shouted from further in the woods.

Bastian sighed as he started looking around. "Fine, but when I find you, can we head to the library so I can find a way home?"

Tom laughed as Bastian came closer and jumped behind the tree, finding... nothing. He heard the rustling of leaves and rushed over to another tree, jumping behind it and finding it bare as well.

"I can do this," Bastian said as he closed his eyes and focused. "I can find them."

The young man took a deep breath and listened, hearing a giggle coming from not too far away. He carefully approached the tree and quickly threw himself behind it, tackling Huck to the ground.

"Got ya," Bastian said as Huck threw some leaves at him. "Now to find Tom so we can get out of here."

"Good luck, Tom's the best at hidin'," Huck said as he put his arms behind his head and continued to lay there. "We'll be out here all day."

A few minutes turned into twenty minutes, then an hour. Bastian was about to give up when he saw a toe sticking out from behind a tree. He silently crept up to it and jumped around, having found Tom fast asleep behind the tree.

"Seriously?" Bastian asked as he nudged Tom with his foot. "Wake up!"

"Wha-?" Tom asked as he bolted awake. "Oh, sorry, just got bored waitin' for you. You're not very good at this game."

Bastian just sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Can we go now, please? The sooner I find out who needs my help, the sooner I can get home."

"This guy's no fun, Tom, let's just get him to the library so we can get back to enjoyin' ourselves," Huck said as he joined the duo.

"It's way too hot to be hanging out indoors," Tom said as he ran past Huck and Bastian. He rushed back toward the river, tossing his clothes off as he went before jumping into the water. "Come on, unless yer chicken!"

"It is kind of hot out today," Huck replied as he walked with Bastian toward the river. "Look, Tom's a bit wild, but he's a good guy and my best friend. Is it gonna hurt to have some fun for a few hours? Besides, the books ain't goin' nowhere."

Bastian looked at the water. "I- I'm not very good at swimming."

"I'll show ya," Huck smiled as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it next to Tom's trail of clothing. "Come on, the sun's only get worse!"

Huck jumped into the water as Bastian sighed. He pulled his shirt off, but kept his pants on like Huck as he felt AURYN around his neck. He decided not to take a chance losing it in the river as he took it off and placed it on his shirt as he jumped into the water with the other two boys.

Much to Bastian's surprise, he actually started enjoying himself as he splashed around the water with Tom &amp; Huck. Huck even helped him learn to swim in the time they spent in the river. After a few hours, Bastian began feeling more at home in the water.

"That was fun," Tom said as he climbed on up on the rock to dry off. "How do you feel now, Bastian?"

"A little better," Bastian said as he noticed Huck was staring down uncomfortably into the water. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just fine," Huck laughed a little nervously as he started wading toward the rock. "Sun'll be settin' soon. We can have you at that library in no time."

"That'd be great," Bastian said as he climbed up on the rock along with the other two boys, where their clothes were out of view. It was then a pair of dark eyes opened from within the woods. As the three boys lay there, Bastian just stared up into the sky as he felt the warm sun sitting him. "I haven't this much fun in a long time. Not since Fantasia."

"What's Fantasia?" Tom asked as he sat up on his elbow to look over at Bastian over Huck's body.

"It's hard to describe, but it's a beautiful place where your imagination can make anything happen," Bastian told him. "It's full of adventure, and heroes, and villains. And there's a girl, the Childlike Empress. She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

"I don't know, my Becky's pretty beautiful," Tom smiled as Huck sat up between them.

"What do you say we get our stuff and take Bastian to the library?" Huck asked as Tom looked up at the sun.

"Yeah, it'll be dark soon, we'd better be on our way," Tom said as he jumped off the rock and walked towards his clothes. Huck and Bastian followed, but as Bastian picked up his shirt, he found something missing.

"AURYN. It's gone!" Bastian said as he started to panic. He looked around, not finding a trace of it anywhere.

"Someone must have come along and snatched it," Huck said as he saw strange footprints on the ground. "Those tracks are fresh. Come on!"

Huck and Bastian started running along, with Tom hopping behind as he pulled his pants up. He quickly caught up to the other two as they tracked whoever stole Bastian's amulet. After a few minutes, Huck looked back at the others. "Trail's gettin' really warm. I think the thief is just up ahead."

"Well, what the devil are we waitin' for?" Tom asked with a mischievous grin. "The three of us can take whoever did this. No one steals from Tom Sawyer's friend!"

The three young men jumped out, ready to clobber whoever was standing there. But once the trio got a good look at the thief, it took all of their might to not empty their collective bladders at once.

"Friend of yours?" Huck asked in a scared voice.

In front of the boys stood an eight foot tall winged monkey, baring large fangs. I n his hand he was holding AURYN. As he screeched at the trio, his five foot wingspan stretched out, completely blocking out the sun.

_**Next: Road Trip!**_


	2. Return to Fantasia

**"Return to Fantasia"**

"What the heck do they feed creatures in Fantasia?" Huck Finn asked to his new friend Bastian, who along with Tom Sawyer, were standing frozen in fear while an eight foot winged monkey towered over them.

"This thing's not from Fantasia," Bastian replied in a low whisper. "I don't know what it is, but its got AURYN."

"Is that really so bad?" Tom asked without turning his head.

"He could destroy this world with it," Bastian told him. "And everyone in it."

"Okay, that's slightly bad," Tom replied.

"Slightly? What would you consider very bad!?" Bastian shouted.

"Guys, stop arguing and let's get it-"

It was at that point that monkey reached out its arm and knocked the trio away. The boys hit the ground as the monkey turned its back and started running. The boys quickly got to their feet and rushed after, jumping on to the monkey's back as it jumped. But instead of jumping further into the woods, the monkey, and the boys, all disappeared into seemingly nothing.

* * *

There was nothing but darkness as the three boys held on for dear life on the monkey's back. All three youths were terrified, but knew they had to hold on or they'd surely perish.

"Where is thing taking us?" Huck asked.

"I don't know, but we can't let him take AURYN to whoever's waiting," Bastian replied as he tried to grab AURYN, but it was just out of reach. The winged creäture realized it had passengers and started trying to shake them off.

"I have an idea!" Tom shouted. "Huck, give me your shirt!"

Without hesitation, Huck pulled off his shirt and handed it Tom, who climbed further up the monkey's back. He pulled it around the creäture's eyes, blinding it. The distraction was enough so that Bastian could grab AURYN, but now the creature was twirling around through the darkness.

"I can't hold on!" Huck shouted as he fell off, but Bastian grabbed his hand. Another twirl caused Bastian to lose his grip as the two boys fell through the darkness as Tom continued to hold the shirt over the creature's eyes, trying to steer it. He saw his two friends falling and knew he couldn't do anything to catch them in time.

"No!" Tom shouted with tears in his eyes as his friends got further and further away, until only the faint glow of the AURYN could be seen.

* * *

Bastian sat up with AURYN in his hand. He wasn't in his bed, but he wasn't falling through the darkness, either. He looked around at the night sky, and the surrounding landscape. Bastian almost immediately knew where he was.

"Fantasia," Bastian whispered as he looked around for Tom and Huck. He eventually found Huck laying facedown in the grass. "Huck, wake up, we're in Fantasia."

Huck moaned as he started to pick himself up, feeling his aching head. "Where's Tom?"

"I don't know, the last time I saw him was distracting that beast," Bastian replied as he started to panic. "What if that thing still has him? They could be anywhere. Come on, we can get help to find him here."

"Yeah, right, it looks like there's nothin' for miles," Huck told him as he started to shiver a little. That's when a horse's neigh was heard and a green-skinned young man rode up on a white horse.

"Atreyu?" Bastian asked as the green-skinned boy dismounted.

"Bastian," Atreyu smiled as the two hugged. "It has been a long time. You have grown."

"Yeah, it's been three years in my time," Bastian replied as he brought Atreyu over to his new friend. "This is Huck. He's kind of from a fantasy world, too. AURYN brought me to his world, but... it's kind of complicated. I need to speak to the Childlike Empress."

"I shall bring you to her at once," Atreyu told him as he looked back at his horse. "But all of three of us can't fit on to Artax. We'll need another way to transport you there."

Atreyu stuck his fingers in his mouth and let out a loud whistle. A few moments later, a large shape appeared in the sky as a white furry creäture almost a mile long landed in the grass.

"You called, Atreyu?" Falkor the Luck Dragon asked as Bastian ran up to him. "Well, if it isn't Bastian. I've missed you old friend."

"I missed you, too," Bastian said as he hugged Falkor's soft white fur. "Falkor, this is Huck."

Huck took one good look at Falkor, and passed out almost immediately.

"You'd think he's never seen a Luck Dragon before," Falkor told them.

* * *

"Huck? Huck, wake up," Bastian said as he smacked Huck a few times as he lay on the marble floor. "Come on, we're here."

"Where's 'here'?" Huck asked as he sat up and looked around at the majestic of the Childlike Empress's palace. The walls and floor were made of solid white marble, and the window had a view overlooking all Fantasia.

"The palace of the Childlike Empress," Atreyu told him as Huck looked out the window. "I can tell you're impressed."

"I ain't never seen nothin' this fancy," Huck told him. "Tom would have given his big toe to see this."

Huck didn't let them see the tear that rolled down his cheek as he remembered his lost friend.

"We'll find him, I promise," Bastian told him as he put a hand on Huck's shoulder. "The Childlike Empress will have the answers we need to find him."

The doors opened as a girl who looked no older than twelve walked in. She had a long flowing white robe which trailed behind her. She had long braided blonde hair and worse a jeweled tiara around her head.

"Bastian," the Childlike Empress smiled as Bastian and Atreyu bowed before her. Huck saw them and immediately joined them. She beckoned them to rise as she hugged Bastian. "You are as handsome as you were the last time you came here."

"And you're as beautiful as you were the last time I saw you," Bastian said as he kissed her hand. "I'm sorry that we're kind of... underdressed. We weren't expecting to drop in like this."

"I understand," the Childlike Empress smiled as she clapped for her servants. "My servants will see that you get more suitable clothing, then we will talk over dinner."

* * *

Bastian had been dressed in a blue and white outfit, with white boots and gloves. Huck got a red and black outfit with black boots and gloves.

"You alright, Huck? You look uncomfortable," Bastian said as they were led to the dining hall alongside Atreyu.

"I ain't the fancy dinner type, and these boots are too tight," Huck replied as he pulled at the collar of his dress shirt. "I'd have been fine in my jeans and a less fancy shirt."

"It's just until we find out what's going on, then we can rescue Tom and get you guys home," Bastian replied as they were seated at the table, with the Childlike Empress on the far end.

"Welcome, my honored guests," the Childlike Empress told him as they were served bowls of a rainbow-colored soup. "I am pleased that you could join me."

"The honor is ours," Bastian told her. "To be honest, we weren't even expecting to show up here, it just kind of... happened."

"AURYN sensed you needed to come here," the Childlike Empress told him.

"I thought AURYN's power was gone," Bastian said as he twirled his spoon around his soup. "It was only tonight that it started doing things, like pulling me into another book."

"AURYN's power has always been there, it's just been waiting for you to need it," the Childlike Empress told him. "It pulled you into a brand new world because you needed to learn to have fun and be a child again."

"I- I did have fun," Bastian replied with a sigh as he looked over at Huck, who was slurping his soup. Huck just smiled as went back to silently eating. "But something tried to steal the AURYN while I was there. A large winged monkey that was about eight feet tall. When we tried to get AURYN back, it pulled us into some kind of void, where we lost our friend Tom. Next thing I knew, we were here."

"AURYN pulling you into another world opened many doors to many other worlds," the Childlike Empress said. "AURYN's power must have sensed by many forces, both good and evil. Unfortunately I can not tell you who sent someone to steal AURYN from you, or where your friend is. I can only tell you that the road ahead will be long, and filled with peril. You must face this evil, Bastian. You must face it and defeat it before it can claim AURYN's power. For if it does get the power of AURYN, every world could be in danger. From Fantasia to Tom's world, and every world in between."

"Are you shittin' me?" Huck asked as his eyes went wide. "Sorry, your highness, I just mean-"

"You are forgiven, Huckleberry," the Childlike Empress told him. "It is equally important that you stand with him as he faces this evil. He will need your strength as he defends AURYN, and the infinite worlds of the imagination."

"What's infinite mean?" Huck whispered to Atreyu.

"That means every world in existence," Atreyu whispered back.

"Are you shi- puttin' me on?" Huck asked as he tried to take it all in. After a few moments he looked at Bastian and the Childlike Empress. "I'll do it. For Tom."

"I will also stand by your side," Atreyu told him as he looked at Bastian. "Together we will destroy this evil."

"I will need you here," the Childlike Empress told Atreyu. "As Fantasia's other greatest hero, I will need you to round up every hero in the land to defend Fantasia in the event that this evil finds its way here on its search for AURYN."

"I will call for you if I need you," Bastian promised his friend. "But where do I even begin to start looking for this evil?"

"AURYN will guide you to wherever you wish to go," the Childlike Empress explained. "But be warned, Bastian: AURYN will not take you where you want to go, but it will take you where you need to be."

"Okay, that doesn't mean sense, but sure. Wait, the last time I used AURYN to wish, it cost me all my memories," Bastian said as he stared down into his soup. "What if I lose all my memories again?"

"AURYN's power will not require your memories this time," the Childlike Empress promised him. "As you have grown, so has AURYN's powers. Trust in the AURYN, as well as yourself, Bastian."

"Yeah, plus I've got your back," Huck promised him. "We'll kick this thing's ass and rescue Tom. I just hope where ever he is, he's alright."

* * *

Many worlds away, Tom Sawyer woke up and found himself tied to a chair. He struggled to free himself but found the ropes too tight.

"Huck!" Tom shouted. "Bastian? Where are you?"

"Your friends are dead," a woman's voice said from the shadows. "They were lost, along with AURYN. Luckily AURYN will be recovered, soon. You are alone now, child. Fortunately, I may have future use for you. So you shall live for now."

"Well, ain't you a kind hearted soul?" Tom asked as he struggled to break free.

"Take him to the dungeon and make sure he doesn't get away," the woman said to the large winged monkeys standing guard.

* * *

"Well, I guess this is it," Bastian said as he looked at his Fantasian friends. "I'm going to face this evil head on before it's too late."

"Be careful, Bastian," Atreyu told him as they shook hands. "I wish I could come along."

"Once I know what I'm up against, I'll come back for you," Bastian promised him. "We'll hit this thing with everything we have before it reaches Fantasia."

"Let AURYN guide your path," the Childlike Empress told him. "Let it lead you on your journey."

Huck cautiously reached out and touched Falkor's fur, smiling a little as he did so.

"You're not as scary when I think about it," Huck said as Falkor turned his head toward the boy.

"Perhaps we can go for a flight later once you're returned," Flalkor told him.

"Maybe," Huck said as he walked over to Bastian. "Ready to go find Tom?"

"I hope so," Bastian said as he held AURYN, which started glowing in his hand. He let go of AURYN as he took Huck's hand. "Hang on, tight, I don't know where we're going to end up."

"Safe journey to both of you," their friends said as the two young men disappeared in a flash of bright light.

* * *

"AURYN is on the move," the woman said as she turned back toward her dark forces. "The boy must still be alive and is using it to travel across worlds with it. My magic grows the more the boy uses it to traverse through the worlds. Find him, bring him to me along with AURYN."

The monkeys screeched and saluted as the woman stepped out of the shadows, wearing a long black dress with an emerald cape. She had red hair, green skin, and a crooked nose.

"Once AURYN is in my hands, no one will be able to stop the Wicked Witch of the SouthWest!"

* * *

Bastian and Huck fell out of the sky, but thankfully only fell a few feet into a snowbank. The two stood up and dusted themselves off as Bastian looked around. "Well, we're not in Fantasia, or St. Petersberg."

"Then where the hell are we?" Huck asked as he realized he should be freezing, but the clothes he'd gained in Fantasia were keeping him nice and warm.

"Please don't be Narnia, please don't be Narnia," Bastian said as the two started walking, finally spying a small town through the snow. "It looks like a safe little town. Wonder why AURYN sent us here."

As they got closer to the town, the two saw the place was decorated with old-time Christmas decorations all along the streets, and on the buildings. A giant decorated tree could be spotted from where the two young men stood on the edge of town.

"Christmas?" Bastian asked as he looked at Huck. "We're someplace where they're celebrating Christmas?"

"Don't look at me, I've never gotten a Christmas gift in my life," Huck told him. "Well, except for the pipe that Tom got for me."

"Maybe the evil is here and we have to stop it before it destroys Christmas," Bastian said. "Come on, let's find out why AURYN sent us here before it's too late."

As the two ran up the street, a large winged monkey landed right in them, roaring loudly.

"Not again," Huck said as he rolled up his sleeves and curled his fists. "Alright, you damned dirty ape, where's Tom?"

The monkey picked Huck up by the collar of his shirt and tossed him into a snow bank before he headed toward Bastian.

"I wish I had a weapon!" Bastian shouted as a massive shoulder mounted bazooka appeared. "That'll work."

Before Bastian could fire it, the monkey was whacked in the face by a metal object. Before the creäture could react, a quick sweep kick with the object sent the monkey on to its back, landing in the snow.

"What in the world?" Bastian asked as a boy around Bastian's age stepped out, leaning on a metal crutch. He was dressed in old-fashioned Victorian London era clothes, with a cap on his head. He had medium length brown hair and green eyes.

"Come on then, he's not going to stay down long," the boy said in a cockney accent. Huck stood up from the snow bank, a bit phased as Bastian grabbed his arm.

"Come on, we've gotta move!" Bastian said as they followed their rescuer down the street.

* * *

The boy led Bastian and Huck to a small cottage on the other side of the town. It was a bit worn down, but also looked like slight renovations had been made to it.

"Care for a cup of hot cocoa?" the boy asked as the three entered the cottage, seeing the fireplace had warmed the place up for them. "I was heading into town to pick up the Christmas goose when I saw you two were in trouble."

"Yeah, that'd be great," Bastian said as he looked around. "How'd you do that? How'd you do take that down that monster so easily?"

"Great upper body strength," the boy told them. "Had this metal crutch for a while, I have. Really great for exercise on account of my legs don't work so well. Name's Tim, by the way. But everyone calls me Tiny Tim, although I outgrew that name about two years ago I did."

"I'm Huckleberry Finn, and this is Bastian Balthazar Bux," Huck told him as he warmed himself by the fire.

"Wait a minute. Tiny Tim? From a Christmas Carol?" Bastian asked as he looked at Huck. "I know where we are now. We're in an old story about a miser who learns to celebrate Christmas."

"Yeah, but why are we here? Is Tom here? Is that why AURYN brought us here?" Huck asked as he sat down and pulled off his right boot, dumping some snow out of it.

"That monster was here, so odds are that Tom could be here, too," Bastian replied as he looked at Tiny Tim. "Was there anything unusual happening today?"

"Besides the big monkey that I gave a right good beating too?" Tiny Tim asked as he brought his new friends two cups of hot chocolate. "No, not really. Life's been good in this town since Master Scrooge learned to love Christmas. He's still an old miser, and a bit of a grouch, but he's a good man now. Even paid for my medicine so I could live a longer life. Too bad the polio already took its toll on me, though. Gonna have to walk with a crutch for the rest of my life."

Bastian reached into his shirt and pulled out AURYN. "I wish Tiny Tim's polio was cured."

AURYN didn't react as Bastian looked at it. "Oh, come on, you can give me a stupid bazooka but you can't fix my new friend? What kind of magical talisman are you?"

"It's alright, Bastian," Tiny Tim told him with a smile. "I've gotten used to things the way they are. I'm still perfectly healthy otherwise. I don't let it keep me down, I can still do most things other boys can do."

"Bastian, ask that thing to take us to Tom," Huck replied as he sipped his hot chocolate. "We have to find him before that monkey eats him or something."

"AURYN, is Tom here in this world?" Bastian asked as he closed his eyes. AURYN gave off a faint glow for a few seconds as Bastian opened his eyes to look at the others. "No, he's not here. We weren't sent here for Tom, we were here for... you."

Bastian pointed at Tiny Tim, who just looked at the others nervously. "Me? Why me? I'm just the son of a pauper."

"Who's wicked good at fighting with that crutch," Huck told him as he stood up. "Maybe that's what AURYN is doing, sending us to collect warriors to fight this evil."

"I don't know," Bastian replied. "It's bad enough I dragged you and Tom into this, I don't know if I can bring anyone else in. What if one of you guys gets hurt?"

Huck put an arm around Bastian's shoulder. "I ain't afraid of getting hurt. My best buddy in the whole world is in danger, and I ain't backing down for nobody. I'll find this evil myself and strong-arm it into giving me back my friend."

* * *

_The City of Oz_

A Munchkin ran into the Emerald City, past the guards. Panting as he ran as fast as his short legs could carry him, he ran up the long hall to the Wizard's chamber and pounded on the door. After a few seconds, the doors opened as the Munchkin ran in, nearly falling over as he approached a large throne.

"Word from our spies, your Highness," the Munchkin said, still out of breath. "It's the Wicked Witch of the South West! She's planning something and is already sending out her mutated winged monkeys to fetch something powerful!"

"I knew we should have taken that witch out when we had the chance," the Tin Man said as he stood near the throne. "I knew she'd be a threat someday."

"She had no powers in the Land of Oz," The Scarecrow replied. "With two of the Witcked Witch's gone, the power of the other two witches would be cut in half. Not enough to pose a threat to anyone."

"Then she must be looking for power in other places," the person on the throne said. "We have to find out what she's up to before she gets whatever she's looking for. If the Wicked Witch of the South West regains her powers, we could all be in real trouble."

* * *

"And that's the whole story," Bastian replied as he looked at Tiny Tim. "I can't make you go with us, but with the way you fight with that cane, you'd be mighty useful against whatever we're going up against."

"Christmas is in a few days," Tiny Tim told them. "Would we be back by then?"

"No promises, but we'll do our best," Bastian replied.

"Then I shall join you on your journey," Tiny Tim smiled as he stood up and grabbed his crutch. "We'll show this great evil a thing or two, we will!"

It was then that a knock came at the door. Tiny Tim hobbled to the door, but before he could he put his hand on the knob, the door was pulled off of its hinges by the large winged monkey. It roared at Tiny Tim as Bastian rushed forward and pulled Tiny Tim back.

"I think it's time we were leaving," Bastian said as he grabbed Huck's arm as well.

"Is the next place going to be where we find Tom?" Huck asked as AURYN started glowing. "I feel like we're never going to find him."

"Never say 'never'," Bastian said as the trio disappeared a burst of white light, just before the monkey could grab them. The creäture roared in frustration as it started knocking chairs and tables out of the way.

* * *

"Uh, Bastian?"

"Yeah, Huck?"

"AURYN sure picks the weirdest places to land us, huh?"

"You can say that again, Huck,"

Huck was hanging on to Bastian's legs, and Bastian was hanging on to Tiny Tim's legs. Tiny Tim had his hands on his metal crutch, which was stuck over a tree branch as the three boys were hanging over a cliff, overlooking a two hundred foot drop into the ocean below.

**Next: Bastian and his friends hang around for Knights of the Neverending Story #3, and so should you!**


	3. The Really Lost Boys

_Oz_

The Wicked Witch of the SouthWest was looking through her crystal ball, trying to find out where Bastian and his friends had gone to. She the world they had ended up in and got a gleefully evil smirk across her green face.

"I'll get that amulet yet," the Wicked Witch said as her Winkie guards filtered into the room. "This had better be good."

"It is, your wickedness," the head Winkie told her. "We've captured Glinda."

"Can it be true? Have you dolts finally done something right?" the Wicked Witch asked as a woman in a pink dress with long flowing brown hair was dragged into the room.

"We caught her with her guard down and stole her wand," the head Winkie said as he handed the large wand over to the Wicked Witch.

"Things are looking better for me by the day," the Wicked Witch gloated. "Once I drain the power from this wand, I'll have enough power to start breeching the wall between worlds myself. I'll be able to get the amulet myself, then every world will be mine to command!"

**"The Really Lost Boys"**

_My name is Bastian Balthazar Bux, and this wasn't how I wanted to spend my weekend. I was supposed to be relaxing, maybe get a few hours in at Corrender's Book Shop. Instead I'm hanging out with my new friends. Literally, I'm hanging with them._

Tiny Tim's metal crutch was hanging from a tree branch extended over a cliff overlooking a 200 foot drop into the ocean. Below him was Bastian Balthazar Bux, hanging tightly onto Tiny Tim's pants; and hanging onto Bastian's legs was Huckleberry Finn, who was trying not to look down at the water, which was frozen over.

"I really didn't think this was how we'd be going out," Huck said as he held on. "I was kind of hoping to go down fightin'."

"Well, I suppose it's better than dying of disease in the middle of winter!" Tiny Tim replied. "But not by much!"

"Huck, can you climb up?" Bastian asked as he held onto Tiny Tim's pant legs.

"I can try," Huck replied while trying to climb up. Seconds later he heard a tearing. "What's that sound?"

Bastian looked up. "Oh, that's just Tiny Tim's pants giving way," Bastian told him in a calm tone before he realized what he'd just said."Oh, crap. Start climbing, Huck, start climbing!"

Huck began climbing as fast as he could, finally climbing past Bastian, just as Tiny Tim's pants tore clean off, along with his old winter worn shoes, leaving Tiny Tim in a pair of white long johns and a pair of black socks. Huck grabbed Tiny Tim's legs as tight as he could, but it was too late for Bastian as he began plummeting toward the water.

"Bastian!" Huck shouted. He looked up and started climbing again, getting up to the tree branch and climbing on it. He reached out and grabbed Tiny Tim's hand to pull him to safety.

"What are we going to do about Bastian?" Tiny Tim asked once the two climbed down from the tree. "Do you think he could have survived that fall?"

"He's a tough kid, he has to still be alive," Huck replied as he pulled Tiny Tim's crutch out of the tree. "I can't lose both him and Tom. Come on, we have to find a way down there."

"Think we can look for a pair of pants for me along the way?" Tiny Tim asked as he looked down at his long johns.

* * *

Bastian closed his eyes as he fell toward the iced over water. "What I wouldn't give for a ship to land on right now!"

AURYN began to glow under his shirt as Bastian disappeared in a blink. Not too far away, on a large ship, a pirate crew was working hard to clean the ship. Their goal was to make the ship spotless before the Captain woke up from his nap. He needed his rest before his mortal enemy returned to start their fight over again.

Bastian suddenly appeared over the ship, screaming as he fell into a barrel of gun powder. A cloud of ash shot up as the pirates stood up and took notice instantly. They rushed over, just as Bastian climbed his way out of the barrel, just in time to find every gun and sword on the ship pointed at his throat.

* * *

_Oz_

The Cowardly Lion rushed toward the throne room of Emerald City, where the Queen of Oz sat upon her throne, waiting for word of the Wicked Witch of the South West's latest actions. The Queen had to have patience and not strike too soon, or else the Wicked Witch would have the upper hand. The Queen had to have all the information before she decided the best way to approach the situation.

"Your Highness, the Wicked Witch has Glinda the Good Witch!" The Cowardly Lion said, almost bawling. "Her guards took her this morning! She's at the Wicked Witch's castle right now!"

A pair of silver slippers touched the floor as the Queen stepped down the path of the throne. She was wearing a blue checkered dress with a long red cape following her down the steps. She had long brown hair and blue eyes that ordinarily would be beautiful to look at, but now showed the rage of a thousand burnings suns. Someone took her Glinda, and now there would be hell to pay.

"Fetch my staff and my work clothes," Dorothy, Queen of Oz said bitterly. It was time to take the fight to the Wicked Witch.

* * *

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Tiny Tim asked as he hobbled along after Huck. The two had followed a path through the forest and now Huck wasn't sure which way would lead them to the bottom of the cliff. The thick fog all over the place wasn't helping.

"It'd help if we had a map, or a guide, or somethin'! Bastian knows these places better than me," Huck replied with frustration in his voice. "First Tom, now Bastian. I'm running out of friends."

"Tom's like your brother, isn't he?" Tiny Tim asked.

"He's more than that," Huck replied before a brief pause after he caught what he'd said. He stared ahead into the forest and sighed. "He's the only one I've ever been able to count on. If it weren't for Tom, I don't know what'd have happened to me back home."

"Come on, I'm sure there's a way down there without having to go through this deep, dark forest," Tiny Tim told him. "Especially since it looks like night's going to be coming shortly."

Huck looked up at the sky and squinted a little. The sun was barely showing through the dark clouds, but Huck could tell where its position was regardless. "I'd say we've got about twnety good minutes of sun left before it gets really dark. Let's not waste it."

"Well, I'd go faster if I hadn't lost my shoes," Tiny Tim replied as Huck sat down on a stump and pulled off his boots, tossing them to his friend.

"Here, I work better without 'em, anyway," Huck told him as he stood up. "Hurry up, we've got a friend to save."

* * *

Bastian had been dragged out of the barrel and tossed to the floor of the ship, still being held at sword and gunpoint.

"I don't recognize him, is he one of_ them_?" one pirate asked.

"I don't know, they all look pretty much alike to me," another pirate replied. "Maybe we'd better wake the cap'n,"

"No, he'll have us shot if we wake him now!" an older, shorter pirate said as he made his way through the crowd. "We'll just keep him prisoner until-"

The sound of a door slamming was heard, followed by a loud metal clang. The pirates gasped and murmured as they started to panic upon realizing what that sound meant.

"He's awake,"

The shorter pirate made his way to the cabin door, slowly opening it. He peeked his head in before slowly letting the rest of his body into the darkness of the Captain's Quarters. "Cap'n, are you awake?"

"Who could sleep with all that ruckus out there? Tell me, Smee, what is so important that you lollygagging buffoons have to interrupt my slumber?"'

"Well, Cap'n, there's a young man out here who fell onto the ship and-"

"Is it_ him_?"

"No, Cap'n, but he's about the same age give or take a year or two and-"

"Is it one of his companions? Tell me, Smee. Give me a reason to not have all of you hung off the yard-arm as punishment for disturbing me."

"We don't think so, Cap'n, this one's not dressed like the rest of them and-"

A large metal hook grabbed Smee by the shirt and lifted him up into the air. Seconds later, the older pirate flew through the cabin door, landing at the feet of the other pirates. Bastian was on his feet at this point, trying to dust himself off when he saw a figure emerging from the darkness.

He was six feet tall, dressed in a tailor-made red and silver suit, with a silver trimmed red pirate hat. He had a long black moustache and long black hair to match. He looked more regal than a pirate should as he stepped out of the cabin. That's when Bastian noticed that where his left should be, a large metal hook was instead.

A dead silence filled the ship as Captain James Hook approached the young traveler. Bastian swallowed hard as the large metal hook found itself at the boy's throat, ready to cut him a new air hole. The hook moved up to Bastian's face, who could feel the cold sting of the metal against his flesh as the hook moved to his hair before pulling completely away.

"No," Captain Hook said as he turned towards his men. "He's not one of them."

"Should we have him shot, Cap'n?" Smee asked.

"Mister Smee, we are gentlemen of fortune," Hook replied calmly. "This young man isn't one of _them_, and thus poses no threat to us. He has, however, trespassed upon my ship and must pay the proper penalty. He shall join our merry little crew as our new cabin boy."

"Join your crew? I don't think so," Bastian told him as he slowly backed away. "This is all just a huge misunderstanding, so I'll just go find my friends and-"

The pointed blade of Hook's metal hand found itself once again at Bastian's throat, ready to cut him if need be.

"You are one of us, now," Hook replied, his voice still calm and collected. "What is your name, cabin boy?"

"Bastian Balthazar Bux, but-"

"Welcome to the Jolly Roger, Bastian. This is your home until you die. And this being Neverland, that isn't going to be for a very, _very_ long time," Hook whispered to him before he turned to address his men. "Men, get young Bastian dressed in the proper attire! Soon, we hunt my mortal enemy and claim victory!"

"What? No, you can't-" Bastian said as the pirates overtook him, pulling off the clothes he'd gotten from Fantasia. They even stole AURYN from around his neck before he had a chance to stop them. Moments later as Bastian stood there in a pair of boxer shorts, he'd been tossed a striped red and white polo shirt and a pair of tan shorts. His Fantasian clothes and boots, along with AURYN, were taken under the ship to be put with the rest of the treasures. As for Bastian himself, he'd found himself handed a mop and bucket with orders to clean the deck as the ship's new cabin boy.

"Smee, what of my most hated of adversaries?" Hook asked as he walked with Smee.

"The waters are still frozen, and the weather is still ill," Smee replied. "_He_ hasn't returned to Neverland yet."

"Then I return to gather my strength in my cabin, do not disturb me again until _he_ has returned. The next battle shall be the last," Hook told him as he entered his cabin. Smee was about to say something else when the door slammed in his face.

* * *

_Oz_

Tom Sawyer sat in the dungeon, wondering how he was going to get out of this predicament. He found some pebbles and started tossing them against the wall, trying to have a little fun while he thought. Soon the green faced Winkie guards arrived, looking into the cell.

"What are you doing, boy?" the guard asked.

"Just having some fun, ain't nothin' else to do," Tom replied as he threw another pebble.

"Fun? You're just throwing pebbles against the wall, what is so fun about that?" the guard asked.

"What, are you kidding? This is lots of fun. In fact, I don't think I've ever had so much fun!" Tom replied with a devious smirk as he grabbed another handful of pebbles. "And the best part is, I'm the only one who can have it. I've got this fun game ALL to myself."

The guard unlocked the door and pushed Tom aside as he grabbed some pebbles. "Let me try that."

* * *

"You sure you don't mind this, Huck?" Tiny Tim asked as he held onto Huck's back while they continued through the forest.

"Heck no," Huck replied as he continued to walk barefoot through the forest. "Besides, we've been walking for damn near an hour. Someone with your condition shouldn't be walking that hard. I've carried heavier loads for a lot longer."

"You're a real pal, you are," Tiny Tim told him. "But perhaps we should find a place to rest for the night. I fear we might be lost in this forest."

"You're right, we can camp out for the night, then start looking for Bastian again at daybreak," Huck replied. "That looks like a good spot over there."

Huck put Tiny Tim down on a stump and started collecting some wood for a fire. "I'll bet us a good fire going so we can stay warm. You just stay put."

"Sure," Tiny Tim said as he sighed and tried to relax, just as the stump opened and the young man fell through a hole. "Huck!"

Huck heard an echoing sound as he saw Tiny Tim was gone. He dropped the firewood and rushed over to the stump. "Hey, you damned tree, give me back my friend!"

* * *

Bastian's body was sore to the point where he couldn't lift a single muscle. He'd cleaned the entire deck twice before having to serve dinner to the crew. Then he had to do dishes and clean the galley. He looked up at the night sky, wondering if his friends were alright.

"I need to get AURYN," Bastian told himself as he tried to will his body to move. Once the pirates were asleep he'd try to sneak down to get his belongings back.

* * *

Tiny Tim landed on a pile of leaves at the bottom of a long tunnel, which weren't enough to keep his backside from getting sore upon landing.

"Where am I?" Tiny Tim asked as he started to pull himself up. The room was brightly lit with several candles all around. The tree had been hollowed out with furniture made from trees, and drapes, blankets, and other items made from leaves, twine, and twigs.

"Hold on, Tiny Tim!" Huck shouted as he slid down the chute, landing on the floor next to Tiny Tim. "... Ow!"

"I think someone lives here," Tiny Tim whispered as Huck stood up.

A rustling was heard in the corner as Huck picked up a large stick to use as a weapon. "Come on out! Don't make me have to use this."

After a few seconds, a boy dressed in animal fur stepped out of the shadows. He was in his early teens, with unwashed blonde hair and a dirty face. He had a bear cap with ears sitting on his head. As he stepped out of the shadows, the sound of chain around his ankle came with him.

"Who are you?" Tiny Tim asked as he looked at the boy.

"My name is Nibs," the boy told him. "And this is my home. You must leave before my friends return."

"Nibs, huh?" Huck asked as he looked at the chain around the boy's ankle. "Who the hell chains themself up in their own home?"

"I'm being punished," Nibs told them as he tugged at his chain. "I'm not allowed to leave the Hollow until the others return. It's my fault for taking an extra piece of meat pie at dinner when I wasn't supposed to."

"And for that you got chained up?" Tiny Tim asked. "Where I come from, the meat pies flow like wine, courtesy of Ms. Lovett's meat pie shop."

"You should leave," Nibs told them as he looked at Huck. "Peter doesn't like intruders, especially boys who are older than him. He doesn't take kindly to challengers."

"I ain't here to challenge no one but the damned monkey who stole my best friend," Huck told him. "We just need a place to stay for the night before we go lookin' for our other friend who fell off the cliff."

Tiny Tim tapped Nib's chain with his crutch. "This chain's awfully rusted. How long have you been here?"

"I lost count, but I don't think it's been long," Nibs replied. "I've been marking the time on that wall over there. I guess you can stay for the night, but be warned. If Peter returns, you'll be in awfully big trouble."

"I ain't afraid of this Peter," Huck told him. "Ain't no boy can take me on in a fair fight."

"Huck, looking at these pock marks on the wall... Nibs has chained to this wall for about five years," Tiny Tim said as he looked away from the wall. "Maybe more."

* * *

After Tom had tricked the first Winkie guard into throwing pebbles against the wall, it wasn't long before another one came along and wondered what was going on. Then another came along minutes later. Before Tom knew it, he had five Winkie guards standing in his cell. While they distracted with the pebble tossing game, Tom had stolen the keys off of one fo their belts and was well on his way out the door.

"Don't worry, Huck, I'm coming to find you," Tom promised himself as he heard a sobbing and stopped. He backtracked and found himself outside of a large door. He looked in through the tiny slit on the wall and saw Glinda sitting inside, crying. "Are you okay, Miss?"

"Yes, I'm just scared of what the Wicked Witch will do now that she has the power to breech the walls between worlds," Glinda told him. Tom found the right key and unlocked the door to let Glinda out.

"Come on, we ain't got much time, those guards are going to realize I'm gone anytime now," Tom told her. "We gotta get out of here."

"We must retrieve my wand before the Wicked Witch drains its magic," Glinda told him as she walked out of the door. "If we don't get it back, she'll become unstoppable."

"Especially if she gets AURYN from Bastian," Tom realized. "Ma'am, do you think my friends are still alive?"

"Yes, Tom," Glinda smiled as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Bastian and Huck are indeed alive, but they are in grave danger. I've been quite aware of you three since you started traveling through worlds."

"Then let's get that witch before she hurts my friends," Tom replied.

"It's not the Wicked Witch that they're in danger from at the moment," Glinda replied as they started heading up the stairs. "But we must hurry before she adds to their troubles."

* * *

"Has it really been five years?" Huck asked as he started to pick the lock on the chain around Nib's ankle.

"Time's a lot more different here than outside of Neverland," Nibs told him. "No one ages or gets sick here. Time doesn't really have any meaning here, unless you're chained to a tree."

"So if this Peter has been gone for that long, what's he been doing? You'd think he'd have come back and freed you by now," Tiny Tim told him. "He sounds pretty horrible to me."

"You haven't met him, I'm sure your opinion will change once he returns and you get to know each other," Nibs replied as Huck finally got the chain off of him.

"Yeah, a guy who chains up his friends then takes off five years," Huck replied as he tossed the chain away. "Him and my pa would get on real well."

"Look, I don't think Peter's coming back anytime soon," Tiny Tim said as he sat down on one of the makeshift beds. "Why don't you come with us? I'm sure Bastian would welcome someone else helping us out."

"I can't," Nibs replied with a sigh. "If Peter found out I disobeyed his punishment, he'd be awful angry at me."

"Peter ain't gonna lay a hand on you," Huck promised as he put a hand on Nib's shoulder. "You're our friend now, and friends look out for each other. In the morning, we're going to find Bastian and get out of this place. You should come with us, Nibs."

"I'll think about it," Nibs replied as Huck and Tiny Tim laid down to get some rest. Nibs looked at the chain and wondered if they were right.

* * *

Bastian had waited for everyone else to fall asleep before willing his sore body to move. His friends were out there somewhere, and he'd need AURYN to find them. Stepping carefully around the sleeping pirates, Bastian made his way to the lower deck, hoping he'd find everything that had been taken from him.

"Come on, AURYN, let me know where you are," Bastian said silently to himself as he wandered around the darkness of the ship. As he passed by the only light available, which was an open window, he thought he saw a shadowy figure passing by in the sky above. "No, it couldn't be."

All throughout Neverland, under the dark sky, the land started coming to life. Flowers started to bloom, the ice started to melt, and the color started returning to everything. As the ship began to free itself of the ice, a dastardly smirk crossed the face of one Captain James Hook.

"He's back!"

* * *

"He's coming back!" Nibs said as he sat up in the Hollow. Just as he did, every candle in the place suddenly lit up, as the vines and moss that had been growing started receding and the place started looking more like a home. Nibs rushed toward the chain and started trying to put it back on. "I knew he'd return!"

"What the hell are you goin' on about?" Huck asked as he yawned while rubbing his eyes. He noticed all the candles and started to shake Tiny Tim to wake him up.

"Peter's coming back, can't you feel it?" Nibs asked as the chain kept falling off of his ankle. "You two need to hide before he returns. I'll make sure he's okay with you before you introduce yourselves."

"I don't like this," Huck said as he heard something coming down the chute. He grabbed Tiny Tim and hid under the bed just as a boy landed in the pile of leaves. He stood up and looked to be no older than 12.

The boy was dressed in a pair green shorts, with all leaves all around. A single strap went from his right hip to his left shoulder, which kept a knife pouch strapped to his side. He had short yet shaggy brown hair, and piercing green eyes.

"Peter, you're back," Nibs said as Peter stood there, his hands on his hips. "I've been waiting for so long. Where are the other Lost Boys?"

"What other Lost Boys?" Peter asked as he jumped onto the bed, ready to rest after a long travel. "There's just the two of us. Oh, and the new boy, but I'll introduce you tim in the morning. Good night, Nibs."

As he rolled over to go to sleep, Huck and Tiny Tim crawled out from under the bed.

"This is the guy you're so terrified of?" Huck whispered.

"He's capable of more than you know," Nibs replied. "You should go before he wakes up, I'll find you in the morning if Peter allows me to leave."

"Come on," Huck whispered to Tiny Tim as they started making their way out. As they were almost out the door, Nibs grabbed Huck's hand, feeling the warm skin of another after a very long time of being alone.

"Huck, there's a large elm tree by the shore, just straight forward from here and you'll find it, I'll see you there," Nibs told him as he continued to hold Huck's hand. Huck just smiled a little before Nibs finally let go and watched his new friends leave.

* * *

Bastian could feel that he was getting closer to AURYN, but was suddenly startled by Hook throwing up his cabin door up above.

"Wake up, you scallywags! The time has come to hunt down our most vicious enemy!"

Bastian knew he had little time as he raced back up towards the deck of the ship, just as the pirates started coming around. As soon as Bastian came up above, he found Hook's claw digging into his shoulder.

"And this boy is the one who's going to help bring Peter Pan to his knees!"

**Next: The Neverland adventure continues! Plus, find out what Atreyu's been up since Bastian left!**


	4. Clipped Wings

Huck was the first to climb out of the hidden entrance to Peter Pan's secret hideout, before helping Tiny Tim come up. The sky was still dark as the two looked around.

"So much for gettin' some rest," Huck said with frustration. "I wanted to sock it to that Peter! Who chains up their friend then takes off for five years?"

"You don't know what he's capable of," Tiny Tim replied as he stood up on his crutch. "Did you see that knife he had? He could have cut you!"

"I ain't afraid of a knife, I've been cut before," Huck assured him as he heard a mumbling. "You hear that, Tim?"

"It's coming from that bag that's strung up in the tree," Tiny Tim said as he pointed to the tree behind Huck. "I wonder what's in it?"

"Bag's not that big, probably a defenseless critter," Huck told him as he put his hand on the rope. "I'm gonna let it loose. Stand back."

"Be careful," Tiny Tim said as he backed up. Huck untied the rope as the burlap sack hit the ground. A muttering was heard for a few seconds before a boy crawled out it. He had sandy brown hair and was wearing a pair of blue and white striped cowboy themed pajamas. He was also wearing a gun holster around his waist with two plastic toy pistols with a red cowboy hat on his head.

"Bandits!" Mike TeaVee shouted as he fired the guns at them. "Take this!" To his own shock, real bullets started flying out of them.

**Knights of the Neverending Story #4**

**"Clipped Wings"**

"I'll never help you kill Peter Pan!" Bastian shouted as he was held back by Captain Hook's pirates. Bastian was currently a prisoner on the Jolly Roger, Captain Hook's ship, where he'd been forced into working as a cabin boy.

"Are you sure he's not one of the Lost Boys, Cap'n?" Smee asked nervously.

"Perhaps it is possible, given what we found on our lost mission to shore," Hook replied as he put his hook under his chin to think about it. "And since Pan has returned, he's sure to bring more cannon fodder from the outside world, which is why we must stop him before he leaves again."

"Lost Boy? I'm not a Lost Boy, I'm just-" Bastian's cries were muffled by one of the pirates putting his hand over Bastian's mouth.

"Tie him down for the night, we'll go to shore at first light," Hook ordered as Bastian was dragged away. He pulled Smee closer. "Minus the rogue Lost Boys that Pan brings back with him, there should be only one Lost Boy left. Here's what we do..."

* * *

_Fantasia_

"You're letting the potion overcook again!" Engywook the Gnome said to his wife in a frantic tone as he rushed toward the cauldron. "If it overheats it won't be fit to remove a stain, much less a curse!"

"Oh, stop it, you old worrywart!" Urgl, his wife, replied as she continued to stir the potion. "I've been doing this for 700 years and I've not messed up a potion yet!"

"When you've been doing it for 800 years, I'll believe you!" Engywook replied as a loud pounding came at the door. "It's a quake!"

"No, you old fool, someone's at the door!" Urgl told him as she smacked on the behind with the wooden spoon. "Don't be rude, go answer it!"

Engywook rushed toward the door and opened it, finding the giant sized Atreyu kneeling down to look inside the tiny door.

"Why, it's Atreyu! My, how you've grown since last I saw you!" Engywook replied.

"Hello, Engywook, Urgl," Atreyu told them, trying not to speak so loudly that it would hurt their ears. "I'm sorry to arrive without announcing myself, but I've come in need of your assistance."

"Why, of course, my boy!" Engywook said excitedly. "What can I do for you?"

"What can WE do for you?" Urgl corrected.

"Well, it started when Bastian returned to Fantasia earlier today," Atreyu said as he began telling them the story about how AURYN was now allowing travel between various worlds. Minutes later, Atreyu was sitting there with his arms around his legs as he finished his tale. " And now the Childlike Empress believes that a war could be looming, and I must prepare the army to defend our world."

"Then you'll need a lot of magic potions," Engywook replied as he pulled out a book. "Protection potions, healing potions, transformation potions, just name what you need!"

"For right now, just whatever you can prepare quickly," Atreyu replied. "The Childlike Empress believes we don't have much time, so I must go inform the others. I shall return as quickly as I can for whatever you have for me."

"We'll get to work right away!" Engywook replied as Atreyu stood up and looked out into the distance. He still had a long way to travel, and lots more Fantasians to see.

* * *

Huck pushed Tim out of the way as Mike TeaVee fired off several shots at them without before he realized there were actual bullets coming from his guns.

"What the hell?" Mike asked as he ran off into the forest, wondering where he was and where his kidnapper had disappeared to. The last thing Mike remembered was going to bed the night before to get some rest. In the morning he was supposed to be taking a tour of a candy factory where a prize was being offered, which he was sure to win. As he drifted off to sleep, he saw something fly in his window, and the next thing he knew, Mike found himself waking up inside of a burlap sack.

"That kid is insane, he is!" Tiny Tim said as Huck helped him up. "Think we should go after him?"

"HELL NO!" Huck told him. "I'm not riskin' my ass going after that loon! He's got a gun! Gettin' stabbed is one thing, I ain't about to take a bullet! We're gonna find Bastian, come back for Nibs, then get the hell out of this place!"

* * *

Bastian struggled with the ropes that held him strapped to the mast as he stared out into the water. He hoped Huck and Tiny Tim were safe, but as long as Hook had AURYN hidden in the hold of the Jolly Roger, none of them were going anywhere.

"Why couldn't I have just taken Correander's advice and just went outside to play?" Bastian asked himself. "Now the entire literary universe is in danger, and it's all my fault. I have to get AURYN back."

Bastian looked around for something, anything, that could help him get free. He saw a sharpened piece of wood that had broken off of the ship's railing. It looked sharp enough to cut the ropes, given enough time. Bastian reached out for the piece of wood with his bare foot, grabbing it between his toes after a minute of stretching over to reach it. Now he just had to get it up to his hands.

* * *

Atreyu was riding his beloved horse Artax through the land, arriving at the Swamp of Sadness. He pulled the reign of his horse and pulled back.

"No, we'll go around," Atreyu told the horse. "I lost your father in these swamps, I'll not lose you as well. We may lose a day, but I'll not risk losing another friend. Let's go!"

The horse let out a huff before backtracking to find an alternate path around the swamp.

* * *

Peter Pan yawned and stretched before jumping out of the bed, ready to start the day. "Good morning, Nibs! Hey, why are you wearing that chain around your ankle?"

"You put this on me, you were punishing me," Nibs replied. "Remember? Five years ago?"

"Nibs, you silly boy," Peter laughed. "I didn't punish you, now stop playing games. I want you to meet our new Lost Boy."

"New Lost Boy? But what about the others?" Nibs asked as he slid the chain off, Huck and Tiny Tim having freed him the night before.

"What others? It's just you and me, my friend," Peter giggled before he flew toward the door. "Now come on, we have things to do and adventures to go on!"

Nibs paused for a moment, hoping his new friends were alright. He hadn't flown in five years, so it took a minute to get off the ground and get the hang of it again. He pictured his happy thought of flying through the air with his friends, and feeling the wind against his face as he lifted off the ground and flew after Peter.

* * *

Up above in the forest, Peter found the empty burlap sack where Mike TeaVee had been placed in the night before. Nibs arrived in time to see Peter flying around to look for the newest Lost Boy.

"He was right here!" Peter said as he looked at Nibs. "He must have gotten loose and is lost in the forest. We must find him before he gets himself into trouble!"

"Who are we looking for?" Nibs asked as he flew toward Peter.

"The new Lost Boy, his name is Mike," Peter replied. "I found him on my travels to the outside world. You should see it, Nibs, I've found all new worlds to explore! I'm going to bring more Lost Boys here and start a whole new family for us!"

As Peter took off, Nibs just stood there, staring up at his leader, who was out of earshot by then. "But... but we already had a family."

* * *

Dawn was approaching as Bastian had finally managed to get the piece of wood into his hand and was trying to cut the rope. As the sun had finally risen, Hook burst open the door to the Captain's quarters and greeted the new day.

"Rise and shine, men! Today is the day that we bring Peter Pan to his knees!" Hook gleefully said as he walked over to Bastian. "And this is the lad who is going to bring us victory!"

"I'm not going to help you!" Bastian shouted again as he finally broke free of his ropes, only for the Captain's hook to pierce his shoulder, pinning him back to the mast. He screamed in pain as Hook twisted into the wound deeper.

"Oh, you are going to help me, boy," Hook said in a calm voice. "Nothing will stop me from bringing Peter Pan to justice. Get the boats ready, men! We leave at once!"

Hook pulled his blade out of Bastian's shoulder as the young man fell to his knees in pain. He clutched his wound, trying not to completely break down.

* * *

Mike was continuing to wander through the Neverland Forest, hoping to find someone who could help him get home. At this point he realized he wasn't dreaming and just wanted to get out of this place. He still had time to make it home to win the prize at the factory, he just needed to get home quickly.

A rustling noise was heard as Mike looked around in a panic. He didn't know what was out there, but he wasn't about to show fear. All the westerns he watched on television and he never saw anyone show fear in the face of danger, and Mike Teavee wasn't about to show it, either. He pulled out his toy pistol and aimed it.

"Show yourself, varmint!" Mike said nervously. A loud snap was heard as Mike fired his pistol in a random direction, still wondering why his toy pistols were able to fire live rounds. A loud shriek was heard as an innocent multi-colored bird hit the ground with a loud thud. Feathers gently floated down around the bird as blood seeped out onto the ground all around it. "No, no, no! What have I done?"

* * *

"I think we're lost," Tiny Tim said as Huck carried him on his back once again. "I've seen that tree three times in the last hour, I have."

"Dammit," Huck said as he stopped to rest. "This is getting us nowhere. We need a map or something. Or a guide. We need Nibs."

"Well, there he goes now," Tiny Tim said as he pointed upward at Peter and Nibs flying over the threes.

"People can fly in this place?" Huck asked as he scratched his head. "We're gonna have to follow 'em. They might lead us to Bastian."

* * *

Hook's crew rowed to shore, bringing Bastian along with them. His hands were bound in front of him as he was forced to walk after leaving the boat.

"We'll find a nice open spot to leave the boy where Pan can find him," Hook said confidently. "Then we'll spring our trap."

"Peter Pan is way too clever to fall for a trap like this," Bastian told him. "I'm not a Lost Boy. Why would he stop for me?"

"Because he's rebuilding his ranks," Hook assured him as they walked along. "He has no Lost Boys left to command, so soon he'll be bringing fresh blood to Neverland. He'll see you and try to recruit you to his side."

"Wait, how is that possible?" Bastian asked. "You're still alive, so this must be early in the book. How are there no Lost Boys left now? I've read this story a hundred times, the Lost Boys only leave Neverland at the end of the book to grow up and live adult lives well after you've been defeated."

"What madness are you speaking of, boy?" Hook asked. "What book?"

"Something's changing," Bastian said as he looked down at his bound wrists. "AURYN. The Neverending Story changes everytime someone reads it. AURYN's spreading the same effect to every world it's coming into contact with. That means Tom and Huck's world, and Tiny Tim's world, they must be changing, too."

"He's got the madness, Cap'n," Smee told Hook nervously. "We should put him down before it spreads to the rest of us."

"Not before Peter Pan is brought before me to pay for his crimes!" Hook said as he bared his sharpened hook at Smee's throat. "The boy may be losing his mind, but he's still of use to us. Onward, men! Victory is close!"

* * *

"Where are we going, Peter?" Nibs asked as they flew over the trees.

"To check up on Hook. We haven't played with him in ages," Peter said cheerfully. "I want to see how Captain Codfish is doing these days."

"Peter, where are the others?" Nibs asked nervously. "Slightly? Toodles? The twins?"

"Never heard those names before in my life," Peter said as he tried to remember. "Nope, don't recall a single name. It's always been just you and me, but that's going to change. After we're done with Hook, I'll show you the doorway and we can bring more Lost Boys back to Neverland to play with us!"

Peter flew on ahead as Nibs wondered what happened to his fellow Lost Boys.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Mike said as he cried over the body of the bird he'd killed with his toy pistol. For all his anting to own a real gun and shoot it, he wasn't prepared for taking a life. "I was just playing. I didn't mean to kill you. Please, don't be dead."

Mike wiped the tears from his eyes as he realized the bird's blood had gotten onto his hands and cowboy pajamas. He looked down at the blood and started to panic. He picked up the toy pistols and tossed them as far away as he could, now realizing how deadly his obsession with guns and cowboys is.

He heard rustling coming from further into the forest as he got to his feet and looked around for a place to hide. He started climbing a tree as Hook and his men started to come through with their captive.

"Look, Cap'n, an Aunt Jamima Bird," Smee told him as he saw the dead animal. "Aren't those supposed to be extinct?"

"Well, I suppose they are now," Hook told him as he looked at the bird's body. "This bird couldn't have been killed by Pan as he doesn't possess a firearm. It's been shot. And since I know none of my men are stupid enough to do something like this and kill such a majestic creature, that means that there must be a new player in our little game. Keep your eyes peeled, men, we're dealing with a vicious and remorseless killer. One who takes delight in killing innocent animals."

Mike swallowed hard as he sat in the tree, taking in Hook's words as a tear fell down his cheek.

* * *

"That should be just about everyone," Atreyu said as he sat atop his horse after a long journey throughout Fantasia. "That just leaves the Rockbiters and we can start our defense of Fantasia against the coming evil. Go, Artax, to the Rockbiter's home!"

The horse huffed as he got ready to travel to the last destination, just as Falcor landed infront of Atreyu.

"I bring a message from the Childlike Empress," Falcor told Atreyu as he motioned to a charm around his neck. It started to glow as an image of the Childlike Empress appeared in a hologram in front of the young man.

"Atreyu, as I feared, the walls between our world and the worlds beyond ours are growing thin," the Childlike Empress warned him. "A great evil is working their magic through AURYN and causing the worlds to merge."

"What about Bastian? Is he alright?" Atreyu asked.

"Bastian is in great danger, and has been separated from AURYN," the Childlike Empress told him. "I can not contact him, or anyone in his group. Return to the tower, Atreyu, the time has come for you to join Bastian on his adventure."

* * *

"I think I saw them fly this way!" Huck said as he tried to run as fast as he could with Tiny Tim on his back. Since Tiny Tim was crippled and needed a crutch to walk, carrying him just seemed faster. "I wonder where they're headed?"

"Who cares? They can get us out of this forest and to where ever Bastian is!" Tiny Tim told him. "If he's still alive."

"Don't talk like that, Tim," Huck told him as he skipped over a log without losing his balance. "Bastian's still alive, and he's going to get us home. You'll see."

"Shouldn't you be paying attention to the path?" Tiny Tim asked as he saw Huck continuing to look up.

"I need to keep sight of Nibs," Huck told him. "If we lose them, we'll never get out of here."

"Yeah, it's just that-" Tiny Tim said as Huck jumped over another log, but this time there was a drop. A steep one, at that, which caused the two young men to hit a hill where they began rolling and sliding for well over a minute before they hit the bottom.

* * *

Mike had climbed down from the tree as soon as Hook and his crew had left the scene. Mike walked over to the bird and kneeled down to touch its dead body.

"I am so sorry," Mike told the creature. "I swear I will never touch another gun as long as I live."

Mike then looked up and saw Peter and Nibs flying overhead, heading to who knows where. He stood up and recognized Peter as the shadowy figure standing in his window the night before as he was drifting off to sleep. He took one last look at the bird before tossing his hat and gun holster away before running after the two flying boys.

* * *

After arriving back at the palace, Atreyu rushed to find the Childlike Empress.

"You sent for me?" Atreyu asked as he bowed before her.

"Rise, Atreyu, we haven't much time," the Childlike Empress told him as he walked behind her. "You must find Bastian and aid him on his quest."

"But how? AURYN is with Bastian," Atreyu told her. "And only its power can travel through worlds."

"You and Bastian are different sides of the same coin," the Childlike Empress told him. "You are brothers, twins. Kindred spirits and soul mates. Where ever Bastian goes, you can follow him, no matter where he is, even without AURYN as your guide."

"Then I shall go to him at once," Atreyu told her. "I will rescue my brother."

* * *

"This is second time I've been tied up in the same day," Bastian said as he found himself attached to a large oak tree. "I hope this doesn't become a running gag."

"You're sure this is where you want to do this, Cap'n?" Smee asked nervously. "Once Pan learns what this place is-"

"Why do you think I brought him here?" Hook asked with a gleeful smirk as he held up his hook hand. "It has been five years, Smee. Five long years since I have seen that brat's face in Neverland. And I have used that time to prepare for his return, and plan well I have. Once Pan arrives here, he'll see that Captain James Hook is not one to be messed with. Peter Pan's last stand will be made here, Smee. Because I'm about to pull his wings off. Permanently."

Bastian looked out at the Jolly Roger, which wasn't too far from the shore. He was sure he could make the swim if given the chance, he just had to get free of the ropes holding him. If he could get to AURYN, he could get to his friends and then get them to where ever the source of evil is. Then things could be put back to normal.

Peter and Nibs were getting closer as Smee watched them through a telescope. "Here he comes, Cap'n! Peter Pan is coming!"

"Into hiding, men!" Hook shouted. "Get ready to strike when I give the order!"

The pirates started hiding in the trees and behind rocks, ready to emerge when Hook gave the word to do so. Hook hid with Smee behind a bush as they watched Peter flying over.

"Peter, look!" Nibs said as he pointed to Bastian, who had a rag shoved in his mouth to keep him quiet. "Is that the boy you brought here?"

"No, but I am curious as to why he's tied to a tree," Peter told him as he flew down and landed just a few feet from Bastian. "How did you come to be tied to a tree, boy?"

Bastian mumbled incoherently with the rag in his mouth as Peter tilted his head. "I didn't catch that."

"Maybe if you took the rag out of his mouth," Nibs suggested. Peter just shrugged and grabbed the rag, pulling the rag out as Bastian spit out onto the ground. The rag wasn't exactly clean.

"Get out of here, it's a trap!" Bastian told him. "It's Hook, he's-"

"NOW!" Hook shouted as a net fell on top of Peter and Nibs, trapping them underneath. As Peter reached for his blade, Hook dug his bladed hand into Peter's arm and grabbed it from him. "Not today, boy. You'll not be escaping my wrath so easily."

"You still haven't learned," Peter laughed at him, wincing a little from his stab wound. A little magic from Tink once her found her would fix him right up. "I always win, Hook. I'll get out of here and defeat you again!"

"Not. This. Time," Hook said as he dug Peter's blade into the young man's shoulder, pushing it in nice and deep so that Peter could feel the entire blade go through his body and out the other side. Peter cried out in pain as the pirates laughed at his misery. "You should have never returned to Neverland, boy. Especially not after the long time you've been gone."

"I'll kill you!" Peter shouted through the tears in his eyes. "I'll cut off more than your hand this time!"

"Such empty threats from a powerless child," Hook told him as he stepped away. "Remove the net so that young Peter Pan can get a good look at what's been going on in his precious Neverland since he's been away."

The net was removed as Peter and Nibs were pushed to the ground. As Peter's head hit the soil, he noticed something small in the grass. A tiny skeleton with a pair of faded wings attached. It was a fairy, and it was long dead. As Peter raised his head, his vision caught more and more tiny skeletons, all littering the ground for as far as the eye could see.

"Welcome to the resting place of every fairy in Neverland!" Hook said as he raised his hands in victory while his men cheered. "You see, Peter, for the last five years me and my men have hunted and we have hunted and we have hunted, searching every nook and cranny for every last fairy we could find. Under rocks, in the trees, in the flowers, we left no stone unturned. And every time we caught one, it was brought here. And do you know what we said? DO YOU!?"

"I don't believe in fairies," Peter whispered with nonstop tears falling down his face as he looked at the slaughtered fairies all around.

"I DON'T. BELIEVE. IN FAIRIES!" Hook shouted right at Peter's reddened face. "Selfish, spoiled, brat! Did you really believe you could leave Neverland for five years and nothing would change with me around? I have spent your time away, molding and twisting this place to fit me! It is I that Neverland answers to now!"

"Tink," Peter sobbed as Hook just laughed.

"She was the last to go," Hook told him with a sneer. "Even though she was the first one caught. I pulled her little wings off just so she couldn't escape," Hook reached into his shirt and pulled out a necklace with a tiny bottle tied to it. Inside was a tiny skeleton. "I kept her as a momento."

"You monster!" Peter shouted as he tried to stand up, but was quickly pushed back down. "The Indians would never-"

Hook laughed harshly in Peter's face. "The Indians? It took a long, hard battle, but they were the first to go. They weren't killed, mind you, but Neverland is no longer there home. I don't know where they ended up, but they shall never disgrace my Neverland with their presence again! And then after they were banished, we took your precious fairies away from you. One by one. And now, with no fairy magic and your innocence fading in the loss of all this chaos, I will allow you to try to strike at me."

Peter got up and angrily rushed at Captain Hook, attempting to fly as he did. As he jumped off the ground, he fell face first into the dirt as the pirates laughed at him.

"Wrong, this is all wrong," Bastian cried as he looked around. "This doesn't happen in the book. What have I caused?"

"You have lost all of your worldly powers," Hook said as he reached down and picked Peter up by the hair. "You are now nothing more than a mere, powerless boy. And you are completely at my mercy."

"And what of the Lost Boys?" Nibs asked as Hook shoved Peter's face back into the dirt, kicking him over onto his back.

"Foolish, child, you are the last of the Lost Boys. We could never find you after Peter left," Hook smirked as he ran his hooked hand under the boy's chin. "I don't know how you managed to hide from us for so long, but now Peter can watch you die right in front of him."

* * *

Huck opened his eyes and saw Tiny Tim laying unconscious next to him. Huck picked himself up and gently nudged his friend. "Tim, wake up. We have to get out of here and find Nibs."

"Where are we?" Tiny Tim asked as he got up and looked around. The ground was covered in fog as he looked around for his crutch. "I think I see my crutch over there."

Huck reached down to pick it up, but instead pulled a skeleton arm up. "What the hell?"

Huck fell backward, landing on top of another skeleton as the fog started to clear due to him moving about. The more fog that cleared, the more skeletons were revealed.

"Huck, these were children," Tiny Tim said as he looked around at the small skeletons. "I think we just found the Lost Boy's Cemetary."

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**Next: Is Neverland doomed? Or is there a new hero waiting in the wings to set things right?**


	5. Disconnected

_Second star to the right, then straight on 'til morning._

That's how Peter Pan always returned to Neverland in a timely manner, by following those simple words. But then one night, after returning from a journey from England where he spotted a beautiful young girl through her window, Peter was making plans to return the next night to visit the girl and ask what her name was.

However, that night, something strange happened as Peter was heading back towards Neverland. This time, the second star to the right wasn't where it usually was. Now there were larger, brighter stars, in several colors. Each new star as it appeared became a doorway to different worlds, each one more fascinating than the last.

Peter Pan, being a boy, and therefore extremely curious, began to explore each new world. While many were the same, many were vastly different. There were worlds filled with cloned dinosaurs, worlds where outer space exploration allowed man to live on other planets, worlds where magic rings led to fantastic journeys, and thousands of other new places to explore. By the time Peter Pan returned to Neverland five years later, he had seen countless worlds, and had countless adventures.

Of course by this time, he had forgotten certain things, such as the names of friends, locations, and other trivial bits of information. But he still remembered the important things, like his enemy, Captain Hook, and his best friend, the pixie Tinkerbell. He longed to return to Neverland, and after having seen so many worlds, was glad to return home, even having brought a new Lost Boy with him, which he hoped would be the beginning of many more new friends coming to Neverland with him...

**Knights of the Neverending Story #5**

**"Disconnected"**

The fight had ended just as quickly as it had began. Peter Pan was lying face down i n the dirt with a blade stuck through his shoulder, bleeding out onto the ground. Everything he had known had been taken from him. His friends, his dignity, and most important of all, his happy thoughts. Captain Hook hadn't left him a single thing in the world, having killed every fairy in Neverland, driving the Indians out, and dispatching the Lost Boys. All that was left was Nibs, and Peter Pan's own life, both of which were about to be cut short.

"The last Lost Boy," Hook said as he held his sharpened hook hand under Nibs' chin. "I shall savor this moment."

"No, please," Peter begged as he tried to pick himself up from the ground. "I beg of you."

"YOU? The mighty Peter Pan, begging? Of me?" Hook laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day when my most sworn enemy begged for mercy. How the mighty have truly fallen."

Bastian was still struggling with his ropes, and had managed to loosen them enough to break free. He pushed Nibs away from Hook, landing both of the ground.

"So, you are one of Pan's new recruits," Hook said as he pulled out his sword. "You shall die as a Lost Boy, then. I regret the death of my new cabin boy, but it's an acceptable loss."

As Hook had his focus on Bastian and Nibs, Peter painfully pulled the dagger out of his shoulder. He screamed in pain as he finally got it out. "Catch!"

Peter tossed the dagger as Bastian caught it. Having never been in a swordfight, Bastian had no idea what he was doing, but luckily he was a fast thinker. "Look over there!"

Hook turned to look the other way as Bastian grabbed Nibs' hand and took off running.

"Get them!" Hook shouted as the pirates gave chase.

* * *

Mike TeaVee had given the bird a proper burial and was sitting on a rock, sobbing to himself. He'd taken a life, and all because of his obsession with westerns and guns. What if it had been an actual human that he'd shot? He'd grown up wanting nothing more than to own a real gun, to be like the heroes of his favorite shows, but now? He had idea what to think. He stopped his own sobbing for a moment when he heard the sobbing of... something else.

"Hello?" Mike asked as he looked around. "Is someone there?"

Mike got off the rock and looked around, wondering where the faint sound was coming from. He kneeled down and lifted a leaf, finding a tiny creature, less an inch tall sitting there. It looked like a boy with dark blonde hair. He was wearing brown pants, yellow boots and an open tan vest.

"You- you're a fairy," Mike said as he backed away. "I thought fairies didn't-"

"Don't say it!" the fairy shouted as he flew up to Mike's lips to shut him up. "You can never say that you don't believe in fairies or I'll die. Like all my friends did. Captain Hook slaughtered all of my people and I couldn't stop him."

"Your friends are all dead? I'm sorry," Mike said as he held out his hand for the fairy to land on. "How are you still alive, then?"

"Because I hid," the fairy told him as he looked down at the ground, ashamed of himself. "There was nothing I could do once we started to realize what was going on. Peter Pan wasn't around to protect us, and by the time we knew of Hook's plan, the Lost Boys and the Indians were gone. I'm the last of my kind. My name is Terrance, and I'm a coward for not fighting back."

"Are you sure?" Mike asked as he looked around. "My name is Mike, and I'm a coward, too. I always thought I was tough like my heroes, then I took an innocent creature's life."

"I've flown every inch of Neverland to get away from Hook and his pirates. There are no other fairies," the tiny creature said. "And if Hook has his way, the last Lost Boy and Peter Pan will die, too."

"No, no one else dies," Mike told him as he put Terrance on his shoulder.

* * *

Huck and Tiny Tim finally climbed back up the hill, both of them still pale from seeing what was down there.

"I don't believe it," Huck said as another chill went down his spine. "Who'd kill a bunch of kids like that?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to stick around to find out," Tiny Tim said as he picked up his crutch. It was at that point that Bastian and Nibs rushed past, colliding with Huck and Tiny Tim, knocking all four to the ground. As Bastian hit the ground, Peter's dagger fell out of his pocket.

"You're alive!" Huck and Bastian shouted at the same time before hugging.

"Not for long," Nibs said as he heard the pirates coming. "We'd better get out of here while we can."

"Use AURYN to wish us the hell out of here!" Huck shouted at Bastian.

"I can't, it's on the Jolly Roger all the way out in the water," Bastian replied as the group stood up. "We'd have to swim for it to get to the ship, and... I'm not a very good swimmer."

"I could fly out there," Nibs told them. "I still have my happy thoughts."

"And I'm a powerful good swimmer," Huck told him. "I can be at that ship in no time."

"Then me and Tiny Tim will go rescue Peter if it's not too late," Bastian said as he looked at Nibs. "If we can get AURYN back, I might be able to fix this. Let's hurry before we lose anyone else."

* * *

"I remember reading Peter Pan when I was little, before I got hooked on t.v.," Mike told the fairy sitting on his shoulder as he walked through the forest. "It was always my favorite adventure before I found westerns on television. I always wanted to be a Lost Boy and go on an adventure, though."

"I'm sorry your wish had to come true like this," Terrance told him. "But even if we save Peter, there's a bigger problem."

"What's that?" Mike asked as Terrance whispered in his ear. "Oh, no! What do we do?"

"We start by buying Peter some time if he's still alive. If he dies, it's all over," Terrance replied. "We have to hurry."

* * *

Hook walked back to Peter Pan, who was laying in the grass, trying to crawl away. Hook laughed and picked Peter up by the collar. After so many years, he finally had his most hated nemesis right where he wanted him.

"It's hard to imagine something as pathetic as you getting the better of me for so long," Hook told him as he smacked Peter hard across the face. "It's almost sad to end things like this."

"Then don't!" Tiny Tim said as he whacked Hook in the leg with his crutch. Bastian caught Peter before he fell and started to take off into the forest. Tiny Tim used his crutch to knock Hook to the ground to give them a head start.

"Where do we go now?" Bastian asked as he helped Peter run into the forest.

"The den," Peter said weakly as Bastian held onto him. "It's the only place that's safe from Hook."

* * *

Nibs landed on the deck of the Jolly Roger, finding the top of the ship empty. Hook had taken all of his pirates to shore to make sure the end of Peter Pan was successful. Moments later, Huck climbed onto the deck of the ship, soaking wet. He was in his long john underwear, having left his clothes on the shore so he wouldn't be weighed down on the swim.

"Wow, you are a fast swimmer," Nibs told him.

"Told you," Huck replied as he looked around. "Where do we find AURYN?"

"It'll be in the ship's cargo hold," Nibs replied as he led the way. "Do you really think that AURYN can fix everything?"

"I trust Bastian, if he says AURYN can put things back, I believe him," Huck told him as they made their way down. "I'm sorry about your friends, Nibs. But Bastian can bring them back, I know it."

"What if he can't?" Nibs asked as they looked around, unaware of the pirate that Hook had left behind to guard the ship. He watched as the two boys made their way into the bowels of the ship, aiming his gun steadily at the intruders. "What if Slightly, Toodles, Curly and all the others really are gone forever? What if Peter is killed? I'll be all alone."

Huck slipped his hand into Nibs' and squeezed it. "You're never alone, as long as I'm here."

**BANG! **

* * *

Bastian and Tiny Tim had returned Peter to the den, laying him on the hollowed out bed carved into the tree trunk. Bastian grabbed what supplies he could and tended to Peter's wound.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Bastian said as he looked over at Tiny Tim. "But I think he'll live."

"It's all over," Peter said weakly as he stared up at Bastian. "Hook's won. All my friends are gone, the fairies are dead, and I've lost my happy thoughts. I'll never fly again. My connection to Neverland is fading without my innocence."

"Don't say that, AURYN will fix all this when Nibs brings it back to me," Bastian promised him. "I can wish all this away and put it back to normal. It'll be just like it was."

"I'm afraid it might be too late," Atreyu said as he arrived down the slide.

"ATREYU!" Bastian shouted as he rushed to hug his friend. "What are you doing here? How did you find us?"

"You and I are one and the same," Atreyu replied. "We're soulmates, brothers. I can follow you anywhere and find you, even without AURYN to guide me. The Childlike Empress had sent me to aid you, but I can see that you got out of danger on your own."

"We're far from out of danger," Tiny Tim told him. "Neverland's a wreck and that Captain Hook's taken over. And without AURYN, Bastian can't fix anything."

"I'm afraid even with AURYN, we're still out of luck," Atreyu replied. "Bastian, AURYN can't fix this if it's as bad as the Childlike Empress told me."

* * *

Mike and Terrance watched through the bushes as Hook and his men made their way through the forest, cutting down everything that was in their path.

"Pan is here somewhere!" Hook shouted. "Leave no stone unturned until we find him! Peter Pan must die so I can rule unobjected!"

"We can't take on all those pirates," Mike whispered to Terrance. "What do we do?"

"We even the odds, then you take out Hook," Terrance whispered back. "You're the only one standing between Hook and complete rule of Neverland. You say you want to be like your heroes, here's your chance."

"I'm not using a gun," Mike told him as he rubbed his arm nervously. "I'm never using a gun again."

"You don't have to," Terrance replied as he stared up at Mike. "But if Peter Pan is in danger, you might be all that's left to defend Neverland. You have to be what Peter Pan can't. Come on, I have to get you ready, we haven't much time. If the sun sets, the batlle may be over."

* * *

After the gunshot rang out, Nibs was already on top of the pirate, knocking him over and rendering him unconscious. Nibs quickly tied the pirate up and kicked his gun away as he looked over at Huck. "Are you-"

Huck was leaning against the wall, his arm having taken the shot. He was bleeding badly as he looked at Nibs. "I ain't never been shot before. It hurts, Nibs. Bad."

Nibs quickly flew back over to him. "I'll fix you, Huck, just hang on. I'll take care of you, like you promised you'd take care of me, okay? I'll fix you, just hang on. It'll be okay."

"Find AURYN," Huck told him as he tried to hold in the pain. "I'll be okay, I just need to bandage up the wound. Go, before something else happens."

Nibs tried to smile at him as he flew off further into the ship as Huck looked for something to bandage his wound.

* * *

"The worlds are merging,"Atreyu told Bastian as he looked down at Peter. "The walls are coming down, AURYN is causing all the worlds to become one. If something isn't done soon, it could be disastrous for everyone. More might die, and more stories will be altered."

"No, I can't believe that," Bastian replied, his voice breaking with sadness. "Neverland is destroyed because of me, I can't leave it like this. I won't be responsible for every world dying, I'll fix it."

"You can still save Neverland, but the Lost Boys, the Fairies, it might be beyond AURYN's power now," Atreyu said as he put a hand on Bastian's shoulder. "I am sorry, my friend. All we can do now is make sure that Hook's reign of terror is ended before anyone else is hurt."

"We don't stand a chance against all those pirates," Bastian replied as he looked at his friends. "You're the only real fighter among us, and Peter's going to be out of action until he heals. There's no one left to take on Hook, not without AURYN at least."

"Then AURYN is our last hope," Atreyu replied. "With AURYN'S power, you can defeat Hook with whatever your imagination can dream up. We must get it back. Do you believe your friends can retrieve it?"

"I know they can," Bastian replied.

* * *

Nibs had searched the cargo hold and found AURYN glowing brightly in the darkness. He picked it up and let it dangle in his hand as he took in the beauty of the medallion. "So, you are AURYN. I hope you're as powerful as Huck says you are," Nibs said as he flew back to Huck, who still leaning against the wall, blood still running down his arm. "Huck!"

"It still hurts," Huck replied as Nibs went to work to fix his friend.

"I've been stabbed and poked by the pirate's blades so many times while I've been here, a gunshot is nothing," Nibs replied as he worked on Huck's arm. "You'll be okay, just hang in there. But you're not going to be able to swim back to shore, Huck, and I can't carry someone as big as you."

"I'll find a way back," Huck told him as he seethed in pain while Nibs bandaged his arm. "But you need to get AURYN back to Bastian. I'll be okay, but it's up to you now."

"Huck, I don't want to leave you," Nibs said as he fashioned a sling for Huck's arm out an old blanket he found laying around. "Not when you're hurt."

"It'll be fine," Huck said, trying to smile. He didn't wants Nibs to leave, but this situation was bigger than him. "I'll find a lifeboat or something. Then we'll get Neverland back to the way it's supposed to be, like it was before we came here."

"Yeah, well, what if I don't want it all to change back?" Nibs asked him. "What if I want one thing to stay the same?"

"Yeah, what's that?" Huck asked as Nibs leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Huck didn't resist, having wanted to do that himself, but couldn't find the nerve. Nibs pulled back and smiled.

"So, that's what a real kiss feels like," Nibs told him. "I always thought it was something small, like a thimble."

"Get AURYN to Bastian," Huck ordered as he tried to stand up. "I'll get a trip back to shore somehow. I'll see you real soon, Nibs."

Nibs rushed back to the surface of the boat and took off flying, now having found a new happy thought to keep him flying.

* * *

Hook had his band of pirates split up to hunt down Peter Pan, but they were given explicit orders to take Pan alive. Only Hook was allowed the honor of vanquishing Peter Pan. As the group split off into three smaller groups, Mike and Terrance took the opportunity to put their plan into effect, activating several traps that Peter Pan had set up long ago, but were since de-activated by the pirates themselves in their quests to hunt down the Fairies of Neverland.

Terrance was sitting on a tree branch while he watched the first group of pirates get caught up in snares, fall into covered up pits, and various other traps scattered throughout the area. He was laughing so hard, he nearly fell off the branch. It was a good thing he had wings.

Elsewhere, Mike was watching the same fate befall the group of pirates he was keeping tabs on. He was hiding behind a bush, watching them all be taken out one by one by Peter Pan's old traps. By the time Mike and Terrance met up again at the agreed upon location, only Hook and a small group remained.

"This is it," Terrance replied as he looked at Mike. "It'll be five against one, but we still have several traps set up to help even the odds, and you'll have a secret weapon. Are you ready?

"No," Mike said nervously. "What if something goes wrong? What if I can't beat Hook?"

"You have to, you're Neverland's only hope," Terrance replied as he sat on Mike's shoulder. "You're the last thing standing between Hook's total domination of Neverland. You need to find the courage you had before you came to Neverland."

"I had courage when I thought I could be a real cowboy," Mike told him. "When I thought I could do what the guys on t.v. did and shoot things and be heroes. But then I took a life, and I... looked into its eyes. I'm not a hero, I'm a coward."

"Mike, you have to snap out of this, Neverland is in danger," Terrance told him as he smacked Mike with his tiny hand. "In less than an hour, Neverland is doomed!"

* * *

"I can feel it," Hook smirked as he cut through the vines of the forest in his quest. "Peter Pan's grip on Neverland is fading. Everything has been building to this since that brat left Neverland five years ago. Slowly I've been turning this place against him, usurping its power for my own. The last key was to steal Peter Pan's innocence, the one thing that kept him bonded to Neverland. Soon, it will be mine!"

* * *

Bastian continued to pace around nervously, until Nibs finally landed down the chute with AURYN in his hand.

"Nibs? Where's Huck?" Bastian asked as Nibs stood up with the amulet.

"He was injured on the Jolly Roger," Nibs told them. "I didn't want to leave him, bu he insisted on bringing AURYN to you. Can you fix this damage?"

Bastian took the amulet and put it around his neck. AURYN began to glow bright as soon as he looked down at it. "I'm going to try, but you should know that I might not be able to put everything back."

"What? But the Lost Boys, the Fairies!" Nibs shouted as he looked like he was about to cry. "What about Peter? Can you fix him?"

"That I might be able to do," Bastian replied as he took a seat next to Peter and closed his eyes, taking Peter's hand. "I wish Peter was healed, and Neverland was back to the way it was."

AURYN started to glow brightly, but then began to dim as Bastian let go of Peter's hand. "What's going on? Why isn't it working?"

"_Because_," the Childlike Empress's voice echoed around the room as AURYN glowed "_AURYN'S magic and Neverland's magic are cancelling each other out. Within the confines of Neverland, AURYN can not affect it's residents. Only you, Huckleberry, Tiny Tim, Mike and Atreyu can be affected by AURYN's power while you remain there_."

"Mike? Who's Mike?" Bastian asked as he looked at Nibs.

"He must be the boy Peter brought in from outside world," Nibs told him as he looked around for the voice. "Okay, so outside magic can't effect Neverland. Can Neverland magic effect outsiders like Bastian?"

"_Yes, it can_," the Childlike Empress replied. "_Because Neverland has it's own magic and boundaries, it is the only place in the Literary Universe that AURYN can not affect. But Neverland magic can effect anyone who enters_."

"Then we have to use Neverland magic to fix this," Bastian said as he stood up. "But with the Fairies dead, where do we get that?"

"It's not just the Fairies that possess magic here, it's all around," Nibs replied. "It's in the flowers, and the water. There is... one place I can take you that can give you the power you need to fight Hook. But we must hurry."

"What about Huck? And Peter?" Tiny Tim asked.

"Peter needs time to recover," Bastian told him as he looked at Nibs. "I'll follow Nibs to this magic place, you stay here with Peter and protect him until he's able to get back on his feet. We won't be gone long... hopefully. Atreyu, I need you to go get Huck and make sure he's safe and bring him back here."

"I shall, brother," Atreyu promised him as the trio left the den, leaving Tiny Tim alone with Peter Pan.

"Well, I guess it's just us now," Tiny Tim told him as he sat down.

* * *

"I can sense Peter's grip on Neverland slipping," Hook said as he came to a stop. "Even if he lives, I have still won. In a few minutes, Neverland will be completely under my control!"

"Are you ready?" Terrance asked Mike as he waited on a branch.

"I hate this," Mike said from a behind a bush. "Why can't I just wear my old clothes?"

"Because you need to intimidate Hook," Terrance replied. "Psych him out. Now come on, we still have one more thing to do."

Mike stepped out of the bushes wearing a costume made of leaves, vines, and other elements from the forest around them, making him resemble Peter Pan. Terrance reached into the pouch on his hip and flew over Mike, coating him in dust.

"Now, think happy thoughts," Terrance told him. "Think of good feelings, and love and all that crap."

Mike closed his eyes and concentrated on the thoughts of being like his favorite western heroes on t.v., even though he was starting to hate the thought of using guns, he still wanted to be a hero. He slowly started lifting off the ground as Terrance smiled. "You're doing great, Mike! Now go out there and save Neverland!"

Mike spotted Peter's bloodied dagger laying in the grass and picked it up. "For Neverland!"

Mike flew off towards Hook's location with Terrance flying after.

* * *

"This is it," Nibs said as he led Bastian upriver toward a waterfall. "Through this waterfall is where you'll find what you need to save Neverland."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Bastian asked as he looked at Nibs. "Let's go."

"I can't," Nibs told him. "Only true heroes are allowed to go through there, like you, and Peter. I'm just a nobody."

"Nibs, you ARE a hero!" Bastian replied as he put his hands on his friend's shoulders. "If it weren't for you, Peter might be dead now, and Huck too. Start believing in yourself, Nibs. I felt the same as you did when I first read the Neverending Story, and sometimes I still do, but I know I can set things right, and so should you. Now let's go through this, together. If we can save Neverland, there might be hope for the entire Literary Universe!"

Nibs smiled as he shook his head as the two boys dived into the water and swam through the waterfall, heading on through to the other side. As they both came up for air, they realized they were in a frozen wonderland.

"What is this place?" Bastian asked as he swam for the shore.

"Where the magic of Neverland comes from," Nibs replied as he pulled himself up onto the shore, helping Bastian after. He looked up and saw darkness was overtaking the land. "I was afraid of this. In Peter's weakened state, he's losing his connection to Neverland. It wasn't just Tink's magic that gave him his powers, it was the mineral waters of this place that made Peter and Neverland one and the same."

"And since Peter Pan is Neverland, if he loses that connection altogether...," Bastian said, trailing off.

"That connection is left open for anyone to take," Nibs finished. "This place will be open to anyone who wishes to gain its magic for themself. Hook will find it easily once Peter is out of the picture. If he finds the mineral waters and bathes in them..."

"Then let's make sure that doesn't happen," Bastian replied. "Let's figure out how to get this magic back to Peter before he loses it for good."

"That's just it, Bastian. Peter's lost his innocence. That can't be returned," Nibs replied. "It's going to take someone who has innocence in their heart to connect to Neverland."

* * *

Atreyu arrived at the Jolly Roger in one of the lifeboats and found Huck stumbling on the deck, trying to get the last lifeboat down.

"I am here, my friend," Atreyu told Huck as he put a hand on his shoulder. "We must hurry, the final battle against Captain Hook will start soon."

"Did Nibs get AURYN to Bastian in time?" Huck asked, feeling light-headed.

"He did, and now we must hurry back to meet with the others," Atreyu said as he pu t an arm around Huck's shoulder to help him along. "You have lost much blood, like Peter. You must save your strength as well."

"I'll be fine, I just to rest for a few minutes," Huck told him. "I just-"

Huck finally passed out in Atreyu's arms and helped him into the lifeboat. "Don't worry, friend, I'll get you help. I just hope there is help left when we get there."

* * *

"Captain Hook!" Mike shouted as he flew over the trees and landed in front of Captain Hook, just as the sun was setting. "I'm here to end your reign of terror on Neverland!"

Hook just stared at the boy and started laughing wildly. "You dare challenge me? And in the colors of my sworn enemy, no less? Are you looking to die, boy?"

"No, I'm looking to set Neverland free!" Mike said as he pulled out the dagger.

"Set Neverland free?" Hook asked with a vicious sneer. "I AM NEVERLAND!"

* * *

"We're too late," Nibs whispered as he looked up at the sky, which was now completely dark. "Peter's lost his connection to Neverland, we've lost."

"No, we've still got one more play," Bastian told him as he looked down at the mineral water. "You say that anyone can claim this magic and become one with Neverland?"

"Yeah, but-" Nibs asked as Bastian stripped off his clothes and jumped into the water. "Bastian, wait, what are you-"

As soon as AURYN hit the magical waters of Neverland, the magic of both connected, and all hell would soon break loose in Neverland.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	6. Worlds Collide

**Knights of the Neverending Story #6**

**"Worlds Collide"**

As Captain Hook's sword clashed with the dagger of Peter Pan, which was being currently wielded by one Mike TeaVee, the sky over Neverland began rapidly changing colors. It went from sky blue to blood-red to pitch black to forest green, to virtually every color in the spectrum, one after another. Of course, the change in the color scheme was going completely unnoticed by the two opponents as they fought over the fate of Neverland.

"I have destroyed everyone who has stood between me and victory!" Hook shouted as he pushed his sword against Mike's dagger, causing the boy's feet to push back into the ground as he fought to keep his balance. "The fairies; the Lost Boys; the Indians; and even Peter Pan himself has fallen under my heel! You shall be no different!"

"You're not taking this land, Hook!" Mike grunted as he struggled to keep Hook's sword from cutting into him. "I'm going to beat you, for Peter Pan!"

As they fought, Terrance looked up into the sky. "What in Neverland is that?" He turned his attention back to Mike, who was struggling with Hook. "Come on, Mike, you can do this, just have faith in yourself!"

As Terrance sat there, he started to think about Mike's story about coming to Neverland with toy guns that somehow became real. "That's it! Mike, I know how to beat Hook!"

Atreyu was bringing Huck back to the den and looked up at the sky. "This can't be good."

* * *

In Fantasia, the Childlike Empress was standing on the balcony of her Ivory Tower as she stared up into the sky, which was also changing colors rapidly. She could feel the panic of the people everywhere in Fantasia as they saw the sky.

"Bastian, what have you done?" she asked softly.

* * *

Nibs was watching the sky as it rapidly changed colors, while the wind started howling around him. He held onto his hat so it wouldn't blow away as he looked down into the waters where Bastian had dived in just minutes earlier. At first Nibs could tell where Bastian was, but because of the sky changing color it was hard to keep track of him. Now Bastian was nowhere to be found under the water.

"Bastian!" Nibs shouted above the howling of the wind. "Where are you?"

As he started to worry about his friend, a bright glowing light emerged from the waters, rising far above it. It was Bastian, his eyes closed and his body unmoving as AURYN changed colors along with the sky above. Slowly, Bastian was lowered toward the ground as Nibs raced over to him, covering him with a shirt to preserve his modesty.

"Come on, Bastian, you need to wake up," Nibs said as he shook his friend. "I don't know what you did, but I think it might have made things-"

Then suddenly, without warning, Bastian disappeared in a cloud of sparkling dust and light. Nibs jumped back, looking around for any sign of his friend. "No. Not him, too."

* * *

Terrance flew as fast as he could and landed on Mike's shoulder as he continued to clash his dagger against Hook's blade, barely able to keep up against Hook's swordsmanship.

"Mike, it's Neverland's magic! It used your imagination to make your toy guns real!" Terrance told his friend. "You just have to use your imagination!"

"My imagination?" Mike asked as he started thinking back to his favorite t.v. programs and movies. He wasn't just into westerns, but movies about ninjas and pirates. It all started coming back to him as his swordsmanship against Hook began to greatly improve. And that's when Hook saw the fairy sitting on the young boy's shoulder.

"A fairy! I don't believe in-"

"NO!" Mike reacted quickly and did frontal flip in front Hook, kicking him in the face as he landed back on his feet, twirled, and knocked the sword from Hook's hand. Using the skills he'd remembered from his favorite movies, Mike began punching and kicking at Hook, not giving the pirate any room to fight back.

"Go, Mike!" Terrance shouted happily as he floated in the air. "I knew you could do it!"

"Watch this!" Mike said as he had Hook backed against the edge of a cliff, and was about to finish him when Hook's sharp, pointed hand dug itself into Mike's chest, falling straight into his heart.

"No, you watch this!" Hook shouted as he lifted Mike up off the ground. "No one defeats Hook!"

"No one except Peter Pan!" Peter shouted as he flew in and punched Hook. "Time to finish this!"

As Peter landed, the Lost Boys landed right behind him. A glowing began as all the fairies in Neverland began to rise out of the ground, forming a bright solid light in the sky.

"No! How is this possible!" Hook shouted.

"Bastian," Nibs said as he flew down and landed alongside Peter. "He connected himself and AURYN to Neverland. He can affect Neverland's magic now. He gave Peter his connection back and is fixing the damage you caused!"

Hook tossed Mike to the ground as Peter picked up his dagger. "I destroyed you once, Pan, and I'll do it a thousand more times if I have to!"

Hook and Peter rushed toward each other as their weapons clashed against each other. Terrance flew up to Mike and landed on his cheek.

"Please, Mike, don't die!" Terrance said with tears in his eyes. "You can't die! Please!"

Atreyu, Huck, and Tiny Tim finally arrived and found the chaos that was unfolding as the colors in the sky over Neverland began to stabilize, forming a solid sky nighttime sky once again.

"Where's Bastian?" Huck asked as he looked around.

"He sacrificed himself to save Neverland," Nibs said sadly. "He's... he's gone."

"No!" Huck said as he fell to his knees. "First Tom, now this."

"Neverland will never fall before you again!" Pan said as he pushed Hook back closer to the edge of the cliff. "Today it ends!"

"Yes, it does!" Hook shouted as he prepared to bring his hook down into Peter's side, be he spun and pushed his dagger into Hook's arm. He stumbled and fell back off of the cliff, falling toward the water below. "You haven't seen the last of me, Peter Pan!"

As Hook said that, a large crocodile emerged from the water. Hook saw it as he started laughing insanely before he hit the water. The crocodile just smiled as it went below the water to have its dinner.

Peter and the Lost Boys gathered together with Huck and the others as they gathered around Mike as he lay bleeding in the grass. Terrance was crying as he upon Mike's chest, his new friend having been killed by Hook.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Tiny Tim asked as he looked around. "All this magic brought the Lost Boys and the fairies back, why can't we help Mike?"

"Maybe we can," Peter told them. "All the fairies in Neverland are here, and with all of us as well, maybe we can bring him back. Everyone join hands."

As everyone there joined hands, Huck slipped his hand into Nib's as the two shared a smile. Everyone closed their eyes and focused on Mike, while all the fairies started to glow brighter and brighter and brighter. As they focused, the ground started shaking as the biggest change yet to Neverland began.

The waves began to crash the beach, and everyone nearly fell down as they continued to hold hands and concentrate on Mike. Finally, their hold was broken as the entire group fell to the ground. As the last Lost Boy fell, the shaking suddenly stopped.

Huck sat up and looked around, noticing a dense fog out in the water. He focused his eyes and tried to stare as the fog started to dissipate. "What the hell? Is it just me, or does that place over there look like-"

"The Ivory Tower," Atreyu whispered a large shadow started to appear on the horizon. Falkor soon landed near the group as Peter looked around.

"What in the world is this thing?" Peter asked, just as Mike started coughing and opening his eyes.

"MIKE!" Terrance shouted as he hugged Mike with his tiny hands. "You're alive!"

"The Childlike Empress wishes to speak to all of you," Falkor told them gently. "There is much to explain, and much more to do."

* * *

Peter, Huck, Nibs, Mike, Terrance, Atreyu, and Tiny Tim arrived at the Ivory Tower, where the Childlike Empress greeted them warmly. She had new clothes given to Mike, Huck, and Tiny Tim that were more suited to their further adventures when they left Fantasia.

Mike was given a pair of black pants, boots, a blue denim shirt, brown duster and a brown cowboy hat; Tiny Tim was given a new blue suit with brown shoes and a red cap; and Huck decided his last fancy suit was too much, so he opted for blue jeans, a white button down collar shirt, and no shoes.

"What is going on, Princess? How is it possible that we're here in Fantasia?" Atreyu asked her.

"Bastian has connected the power of AURYN to Neverland's magic, and in doing so has connected Neverland to Fantasia. They are now both part of the same story," the Childlike Empress told them.

"And what about Bastian? Is he... dead?" Huck asked her.

"Bastian is indeed alive, although while I can sense him, I can not tell where he is," the Childlike Empress told them. "He is not within Fantasia or Neverland."

"We must find him," Atreyu said as he looked at his friends. "Only AURYN has the power to save all of our worlds from the evil that is coming."

"You said I was Bastian's soulmate, I can follow him anywhere," Atreyu told her. "Perhaps I can-"

"No, Atreyu, that is not possible now, Neverland's magic will block your ability to track Bastian from here on out," the Childlike Empress told them. "Until Bastian reveals himself to us, I am afraid that we can not continue without him, for only AURYN can allow travel between worlds."

"That's not true, I've spent five years doing it," Peter told her. "We just have to follow the stars and we can do it. But there are thousands of other worlds, though, it'll be impossible to find him."

"We have to try," Huck said as he looked at his friends. "I don't about y'all, but I'm tired of losing my friends. I'm going to find Bastian and Tom, I don't care how many worlds I have to search."

"Count me in," Tiny Tim added as he stood next to Huck. "Besides, we have to get Mike home, as well."

"No," Mike told them. "I want to come with you guys. Forget that chocolate factory tour, this is much more fun!"

"Then I'm coming along, too," Terrance said as he sat on Mike's shoulder. "With the fairies alive again, Neverland will be well protected."

"That's right," Nibs said as he thought about it. "Peter, you can't leave Neverland again, not for as long as you did the last time. We can't risk Neverland falling apart again."

"But then who will lead everyone in the search for Bastian?" Peter asked him.

"I will," Nibs replied as he smiled at Huck. "I know the path to get to the stars, you've taken us up there before. I'll lead everyone to the next world to start our search."

"Atreyu, I need you to remain here while the others search," the Childlike Empress told Atreyu. "With Bastian missing, you are the one who must lead the people into battle should the evil invade before he is found."

"Evil? What evil?" Peter asked her. "I thought Hook was defeated."

"This is something much, much worse," the Childlike Empress told him. "A great evil seeks to claim AURYN's magic for their own, and in doing so will destroy Fantasia."

"Then consider Peter Pan and his Lost Boys there to help you," Peter told her with a smile. "We shall protect our new home."

"Okay, but how are we going to get to the stars to travel to the next world?" Tiny Tim asked. Terrance flew off of Mike's shoulder and flew around the group, tossing fairy dust onto each of them.

"Everyone needs to focus on a happy thought," Terrance told the group as he floated in front of them. "Whatever makes you happiest, just keep that thought in your minds and let those feelings guide you."

Everyone closed their eyes and focused.

"Christmas dinner with my family," Tiny Tim said.

"A marathon of my favorite cowboy movies," Mike told them.

"Having adventures and gettin' into trouble with my best friend Tom," Huck added.

The three started lifting off of the ground, unable to control their flying at first. After a few minutes, the trio started getting the hang of it and were soon flying around the room.

"This is fantastic!" Huck shouted as he reached the ceiling. "I'm flying!"

"For the first time in my life, I don't need a crutch!" Tiny Tim smiled as he flew past him.

"Let's see a cowboy do this!" Mike said as he twirled through the air.

"Nibs, are you sure you can do this?" Peter asked him.

"I have to, Peter," Nibs replied as he put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "It's time I stepped up and stopped being afraid of everything. I hope we'll find Bastian soon."

"Good luck, my friend," Peter told him as he hugged Nibs. "The Lost Boys will be here for you when you return."

"Come on, guys!" Nibs said as he looked up at his flying friends. "Let's go find our friends!"

Nibs flew into the air, and headed out the window. Huck, Tiny Tim, and Mike flew off after, with Terrance hanging Mike's collar.

"Good luck, you will need it," the Childlike Empress told them as she watched the group fly off into the sky.

"There it is!" Nibs shouted as everyone held hands, forming a chain as they flew towards the star. "Just like Peter said."

"I don't believe it," Mike said as he looked at the bright lights ahead. "Is this really how we're going to find Bastian? That's a lot of new worlds."

"And we'll search them all until we find Bastian," Huck told him. "He's the only one who can me find Tom. We'll search every last one of these worlds until we find our friends."

"Okay, boys, let's pick and go!" Nibs said as he flew forward, dragging the others with him. They hit one of the colored lights, flashing a bright white as they charged through.

* * *

_Oz_

"Glinda's wand is nearly drained of its power," the Wicked Witch of the SouthEast cackled as she watched her powers continue to grow. "Soon I'll have enough power to track down this energy source and claim it for my own!"

Outside, Tom Sawyer and Glinda were watching the scene unfold. Tom had recently rescued Glinda from the dungeon and now the two were trying to find a way to reclaim Glinda's magic wand before it was gone.

"What do we?" Tom asked Glinda. "There's a bunch of them big ass monkeys guarding the place. We'll never get past them."

"If we don't, Oz is doomed," Glinda reminded him. "As well as your worlds, and countless others. We must try."

"Okay, I guess I could try to distract them while you grab the wand," Tom told her. "I'll hodl them off as long as I can."

"Be careful, Tom," Glinda told him as she kissed his forehead. "Luck be with you."

* * *

Bastian felt the warm sunlight hit his naked body as he opened his eyes. AURYN was still around his neck as he sat up in a patch of grass overlooking a small pond.

"Where am I?" Bastian asked himself as he pulled himself up. Finding an old blanket nearby, he quickly wrapped it around his waist as he stood up and looked around. Behind him was a mall thicket of trees; to the front of him was a small sewage treatment plant. "What is this place?"

A laughter was heard, seemingly coming out of thin air as Bastian spun around, clutching the blanket tightly around his waist. "Who's there?"

The laughter started again, but this time as Bastian face the sewage treatment plant, he found a clown standing there, with three balloons in his hand. He had bright red hair, a red nose, a yellow and white suit with a ruffled white collar, and large red clown shoes.

"Hello there, little boy, would like a balloon?" the clown asked.

"No- no thank you," Bastian said as he stepped away.

"They're free," the clown smirked as he held one of the balloons out. "Don't you want a balloon, Bastian? They float! They all float!"

Bastian started getting nervous as he took another step back and found he backed up against the clown, who was now standing right behind him.

"You can't run, Bastian! You can't run from us!" the clown said as he opened his mouth, baring his fangs at the young man. Bastian fell backward, but quickly scrambled to his feet and started running. "See you around! Your balloon will be waiting for you! Ho ha! Ho ha!"

Bastian got into the forest as fast as he could, resting behind a tree when he couldn't run anymore.

"Who the hell was that?" Bastian asked, his voice squeaking with fear. "And... who is Bastian?"

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	7. The IT Crowd

**Knights of the Neverending Story #7**

**"The IT Crowd"**

_**The Players**_

_**Bastian Balthazar Bux**_

_**Huckleberry Finn**_

_**Tiny Tim**_

_**Nibs the Lost Boy**_

_**Mike TeaVee**_

_**Terrance the Fairy**_

_**Tom Sawyer**_

_**Dorothy, Queen of Oz**_

"Can I make a suggestion?" Tiny Tim asked as the group was leaving the current world they were searching. Bastian was still missing and the assembled team of fictional characters were still no closer to finding him. "Let's not revisit the world where they eat fried worms."

"Bastian wasn't here," Huck said as he looked at the group as they flew back toward the second star on the right. "He wasn't under that dome; he wasn't with that Cat in the Hat; and he wasn't in that world with the killer whale and his friend Ishmael. We'll never find him."

"Come on, friend, don't give up," Terrance said as he held onto Mike's shoulder. "He has to be in one of these worlds, right?"

"This would be a lot easier if we had AURYN to guide us," Huck told them. "But then again, Bastian's the only one who can use it."

"Maybe we're just looking in the wrong places," Tiny Tim said as he thought about it. "Maybe Bastian went to a place where he'd feel safe."

"Or he ended up in a place where he isn't safe and is in a trouble," Mike suggested. "What if he's... dead?"

"The Childlike Empress said that AURYN would protect him," Huck told his friends. "So unless there's evidence that he's dead, then he ain't dead!"

"Really starting to like this guy," Mike smirked as the group held onto each other as they entered the next world to continue their search.

* * *

Bastian had managed to find a pair of pants and a t-shirt, but was still barefoot as he walked down the road of the small town. AURYN was hanging around his neck, but he had no idea what it was, or for that matter, who he was. He had zero memory of anything that happened before waking up in the woods a few hours earlier.

A police car with 'Derry P.D.' on the side rolled up beside him, coming to a stop as the officer stepped out.

"Son, do you know there is a curfew in this town?" the officer asked as he saw how disheveled Bastian was. "Are you okay?"

"Do you... do you know my name?" Bastian whispered.

"Come with me," the officer said as he led Bastian to the car. "Looks like we got one that actually got away from it."

* * *

In Oz, Tom had snuck into the room where Glinda's magic wand was being drained by the Wicked Witch of the South West. The room was filled large winged monkeys that stood six feet tall, which was threatening enough before their massive wingspan factored in.

Tom grabbed a vase and tossed it to the floor, shattering it and getting everyone's attention. Tom stood there, innocently with a devilish smirk on his face. He loved causing mischief, especially when it was in the name of helping a friend.

"Come on, ya dumb beasts! Come get me!" Tom said as he slowly backed up and started running as the winged monkeys chased after, shaking the room as their fists pounded the ground in front of them. The room wasn't big enough to spread their wings, but they would give a good chase to the child.

"Tear him apart!" the Wicked Witch shouted with a hideous laugh. "Make sure he can't interfere with my plans!"

As the Wicked Witch was distracted, Glinda snuck in and grabbed her wand. By the time the Wicked West noticed her, it was too late.

"You think it matters now?" the Wicked Witch laughed as she created a fireball in her hand. She tossed it at Glinda, who ducked behind the console. "Your wand was drained twenty minutes ago! I've already won!"

"Evil shall never win," Glinda told her as another fireball came at her. She held up her wand, which absorbed it. "I still possess the wand, and it can take back any magic you send towards me, no matter its form."

Downstairs, one of the winged monkeys pounced on Tom and picked him up by the leg, holding him upside down.

"Don't suppose we talk about this like gentlemen, huh?" Tom asked as he grabbed Tom's other leg and started pulling to break him like a wishbone.

**TWHACK!**

A bo staff to the face knock the winged monkey backwards, dropping Tom in the process. In a blinding flash, the bo staff struck the other winged monkeys, knocking them off of their feet. Tom, dazed and his head spinning, was barely able to make out what was happening, only seeing a quick flash taking out the enemy.

As his vision came back into focus, he saw a young woman dressed in a white and blue checkered vinyl jumpsuit with a large bo staff knocking away the winged monkeys left and right. Her long brown hair was in a tight ponytail, and she was wearing ruby boots. Tom finally gave in and passed out on the floor.

"Now," Dorothy said, giving one last good swing to the winged monkey behind her. "Where's Glinda?"

* * *

"I don't know what's in this Soylent Green stuff, but it's delicious!" Mike said as he shoveled another spoonful into his mouth.

"Uh... Mike?" Nibs asked as he came back into the room, having just found out what world they were in.

* * *

Bastian was sitting in a jail cell with his arms wrapped around his legs as he sat on the cot. He'd been there for an hour as the police were muttering, calling him "The boy who lived."

"What do we do with him? He can't remember a thing," one officer asked. "Hasn't said a word since we picked him up. Think he saw whoever it is killing the children?"

"We leave him there until we can find his parents," the other officer told him. "A survivor? This kid's parents are going to want to find him as quick as possible. In the morning if no one's come for him, we'll call social services."

As the police left the room, leaving Bastian alone, he immediately heard a loud laughter coming from under the cot.

"Hello, buddy boy!" the clown said as he slid out from under the cot. "Looks like we're bunkmates! Ho ha!"

"Help!" Bastian tried to scream, but was too frozen in fear.

"Oh, they can't help you, even if you could scream," the clown said as he sat next to Bastian, getting really close to the boy. "Oh, the fear. It's so delicious."

The clown licked Bastian's face with a long pronged tongue as Bastian started breathing heavier in fear. He was too frozen to get up and run. A single tear ran down his face as the clown opened his mouth, bearing yellow fanged teeth. As he bit down into Bastian's neck, AURYN started to glow, sending a shockwave blast out, knocking the clown across the cell, denting the bars.

"The power!" the clown shouted as he saw AURYN glowing. "Give it to me!"

Bastian just sat there, rocking back and forth in complete fear. "I wish you'd just go away," Bastian squeaked out. AURYN started to glow brighter as the clown roared, disappearing in a burst of white light. As soon as he was gone, he pulled AURYN off out of his shirt and looked at it. "What are you?"

* * *

"I'm glad I won't live long enough to make it to 1984," Tiny Tim said as the group left yet another world. "The future looks horrible."

"I'm going to be an adult when that year happens," Mike said in a terrified voice. "I am so screwed."

"Well, at least it's not the Soylent Green future," Huck reminded them as they flew towards the next star. "How many more damn worlds are there?"

"My guess? An infinite amount," Terrance replied as he clung to Mike's shoulder. "The literary universe is vast, thanks to the endless imaginations that create them."

"And Bastian can be in any one of them," Huck replied. "Not to mention my best buddy, Tom. Never gone this long without him, but," Huck squeezed Nibs hand a little tighter. "At least I'm not alone."

"Maybe we should go back to Fantasia to see if the Childlike Empress has cany new leads," Mike suggested. "Maybe she has something that we've missed."

"That sounds great, but, uh," Tiny Tim looked at all the new stars. "Which one's the road to Fantasia?"

* * *

"I wish I knew who I was," Bastian said as he looked AURYN hanging from his hand. The medallion just hung there, doing nothing. "Come on, I know you have some kind of freaky power, you sent that clown away, tell me who I am," AURYN remained unmoving as Bastian closed his eyes. "I wish I could at least get out of here."

Bastian opened his eyes and saw he was sitting back in the grassy field.

"I- I wish had a pair of shoes," Bastian wished as a pair of blue sneakers appeared on his feet. "Okay, let's try this. I wish you would tell me why you can't tell me who I am?"

Smoke started rising in the grass in front of him as Bastian looked down and saw a message.

_**You Must Find the Answer On Your Own. Only You Can Tell Yourself Who You Are.**_

"Gee, thanks," Bastian muttered as he put AURYN under his shirt as he started walking. "I just hope I don't run into that clown again. I need to find someone who can help me in this place before that creepy ass clown shows up again."

* * *

"Where are we now?" Huck asked as he looked around a forest. "This isn't Fantasia."

"Is that a werewolf?" Mike asked. "And who's the sparkly guy he's fighting with?"

"Uh... they're not fighting," Nibs said as he tilted his head. "It looks like they're-"

"Whoa," everyone said in unison as Nibs and Huck looked at each other.

"Don't ever ask me to do that," Nibs said in a whisper as he stood next to Huck.

* * *

Dorothy kicked the door in and found Glinda and the Wicked Witch engaged in battle.

"Glinda!" Dorothy said as the Good Witch turned around. "Watch out!"

The Wicked Witch sent a fireball to knock her off balance, sending her to the ground.

"NO!" Dorothy shouted as Glinda just stared up at her. Dorothy rushed toward her as the Wicked Witch conjured up a massive ball of energy and fired it at Glinda, leaving nothing left of the Good Witch but dust, and the magic wand. "I'll kill you, witch!"

"You may have taken my cousins, but I'm far more powerful than either of them!" the Wicked Witch shouted as she disappeared in a burst of flame. "You haven't seen the last of me, Queen Dorothy!"

Huck ran into the room and saw Dorothy kneeling over the remains of Glinda. "Is she-"

"I will have my revenge," Dorothy promised. "Child, whose side do you belong to?"

"Glinda's," Tom said as he looked at her. "And I guess yours, now. Glinda was my friend, I'm sorry she's gone, ma'am. She was going to help me find my friends. That wicked witch is after my friend Bastian's fancy necklace. Said it was supposed to be some kind of huge source of power."

"Then our job now is to keep her from getting it," Dorothy said. "Where is your friend now?"

"Damned if I know," Tom told her. "I just know that he's with my best friend in the whole world, and if that witch has done anything to hurt them-"

"Come, child, we must return to the Emerald City," Dorothy said as she stood up. "We must find this source of power before the Wicked Witch does."

* * *

The boys fell into a pile in the middle of a grassy field as Terrance climbed his way out from under them. He started flying around, trying to find anything out of the ordinary.

"This place looks normal enough," Terrance said.

"Ain't none of these places normal," Huck told him as he stood up. "Let's just see if Bastian's here so we can move on to the next place."

"Guys, look!" Mike pointed at the water reservoir entrance, where Bastian was walking in. "Bastian!"

"I don't think he can hear us," Nibs said. "Should we follow him in?"

"Hell yeah!" Huck shouted as he started running toward the entrance. "Let's get him and get out of here so we can find my buddy Tom!"

As the group ran toward the entrance, a sinister laughing was heard as a group of balloons started floating away. Meanwhile, the real Bastian wasn't too far away, having just missed his friend entering the reservoir.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	8. IT Follows

_The Players_

_Bastian Balthazar Bux_

_Huck Finn_

_Nibs_

_Tiny Tim_

_Mike Teavee_

_Terrence the Fairy_

_Dorothy, Queen of Oz_

_Previously, our heroes fought Captain Hook and saved Neverland from destruction, merging it with Fantasia to protect it from further evil. However, Bastian had sacrificed himself to save the day, ending up in a world where a terrible evil was running around and killing children!_

_Meanwhile, Bastian's friends had been scouring the literary universe to find him, but upon arriving in the world where Bastian had landed, were tricked by the evil, walking right into It's trap!_

**Knights of the Neverending Story #8**

**"IT Follows"**

"What exactly is this place?" Nibs asked as Huck led the group of adventurers forward.

"It's a water reservoir," Mike told them from the back. "They're kind of becoming a huge thing. They store water from the nearby lake for the water treatment plant to make it safe to drink."

"Wish we had something like that back where I come from," Huck told them. "Don't suppose anyone's able to light a torch or something?" Terrance flew off of Mike's shoulder and headed toward the front of the group., lighting the way for them. "Thanks, little buddy."

"I think the bigger question is why would Bastian come in here?" Nibs asked. "Do you think he was running from something?"

"What does he need to run from? He has AURYN," Mike said.

"Unless he lost it again, boy's got a habit of losin' stuff," Huck reminded them as they got deeper into the tunnels. "Bastian! Come on out, your friends are here!"

"Alright, everyone stay real close," Tiny Tim told them. "There's no telling what's down here."

"Mike, you seem to know about this place," Huck said as he noticed a thick cloud of fog aroud his feet that seemed to be getting higher. "Is fog a normal thing in here?"

"Not that I know of," Mike told them as the fog was starting to become thicker. "I can't see!"

"Don't get separated!" Nibs shouted. "Everyone, link hands before-"

Nibs reached around, and couldn't feel anyone through the fog. "Huck? Tim? Mike?"

"Nibs...," a echoing female voice through the fog. "Where are you Nibs?"

"Who's there?" Nibs asked as he saw a woman coming through the fog. She looked familiar to Nibs, even though he hadn't seen her since he was a baby. "Mother?"

* * *

Mike was coughing in the fog as he tried to make his way through it, when he thought he heard something skittering around behind him. He quickly turned around and saw nothing. "Guys?"

As Mike turned back around to continue his search, something jumped out of the fog at him, clawing him across the chest, taking most of shirt in one swipe and leaving three red scratch marks. Mike fell onto his back, holding his chest in pain as the bird he had killed in Neverland, or a horribly mutated version of it, stomped forward. Its feathers were replaced with scales, and its beak was sharp and pointy. It was three times larger and had a horrible screech as it came closer.

* * *

"Guys? Where are you?" Tiny Tim asked in his cockney accent as he hobbled along on his metal crutch. "This isn't funny!"

"No, but this is," a voice said as Tiny Tim's crutch was pulled from his hands. The boy struggled to stay upright, but a kick to the leg sent him to the ground, followed by a harsh laughter as an old man appeared in the fog. "M- Mister Scrooge?"

"That's right, you annoying little peasant," Scrooge said as he tossed the crutch away. "And I'm here to finish what that disease started. You should have never lived past that Christmas."

"But you changed, you've been so kind these last few years," Tiny Tim told him as Scrooge used his cane to hit him in the leg.

"I've changed back, and just in time to unload the burden you've become to me," Scrooge said as he hit Tiny Tim in the leg again, even harder. The boy screamed in pain as Scrooge got ready for another hit.

* * *

"Mike?" Terrance asked as he flew through the fog. "Anyone?"

Terrance stopped and floated in the air as he heard the sound of metal scraping against the wall. It was the familiar sound of a hook, followed by a creepy laughter.

"Little fairy, all alone," Hook said, his voice echoing through the thick fog. "With no friends to call his own."

"Hook? You're dead," Terrance whimpered as he tried to fly, but found himself frozen in fear.

"You can't kill me, boy, I won't let you!" Hook said as he hooked hand flew behind Terrance, nearly cutting his wings off. The fairy started flying as fast as he could, but the hook pinned him to the wall by through his tiny shirt.

* * *

"Where the hell is everyone?" Huck asked as a fist punched him in the jaw. The young man fell to his knees as he saw Pap Finn walking out of the fog, a drunken mess.

"Time to come home and get what's comin' to you, boy," Pap Finn said with an evil glare in his eye.

* * *

Outside of the reservoir, Bastian was being compelled by the brightly glowing AURYN to go inside. He stopped just outside the door as he looked down at the medallion around his neck.

"Okay, okay, what's so important that I have to stop searching for who I am to come here?" Bastian asked as the door slowly opened in front of him. "Uh uh, I'm not going in there."

AURYN started pulling Bastian through the door as he tried to hold onto the egeds with his fingers, but finally had to let go as the door closed behind him.

* * *

"Mother?" Nibs asked as he slowly got closer. "Is that you? I've always dreamt of the day that I could meet you."

"And I was glad the day you disappeared," the woman said with a laugh . "You were a horrible burden, and I was glad to be rid of you. Look at you, you're pathetic. A mere boy, doomed to never becoming a real man."

"That's not true," Nibs told her. "I'm a hero back where I come from. I do great things with my friends and-"

"You're a loser, and you'll never be loved," she said. "You think they care for you? They only want you for what do you, and the second no longer of use, they'll be rid of you. Because you're impossible to love. I couldn't do it, and no one else could, either."

Nibs tried to hold the tears back as the woman's arm became scaly and clawed. She prepared to swipe at him when Bastian saw them through the fog.

"I wish for a machete!" Bastian said as a big blade appeared in his hand. He rusehd forward and cut through the woman's arm, sending it to the ground. As soon as it fell, it turned into a hundred tiny spiders on impact and began crawling towards Bastian. "Bug spray!"

The machete turned into a large can of bug spray as the boy started spraying it at the spiders. The tiny creatures rushed away as Nibs hugged him. "Bastian, you're alive!"

"Is- is that my name?" Bastian asked.

"The others are here somewhere, we have to find them," Nibs said, taking Bastian's hand. "I just want to know what the hell that was."

"Best guess? A demon clown that likes to eat kids," Bastian told him.

* * *

The Neverland bird scratched at Mike's face, drawing more blood as it screeched at him. Mike was laying on the ground, too paralyzed with fear to move. Bastian and Nibs made their way through the fog as Nibs jumped onto the bird's back and started wrestling with it. Bastian rushed over to Mike to help him up.

"You don't look so good," Bastian told him as a giant ball bat appeared in his hand. "Want to take a crack at that beast?"

"With pleasure," Mike told him as he rushed forward. After a few swings, Nibs was tossed off of the bird's back as it ran into the fog as he looked at his bloody body. "Good to have you back, Bastian. Think you can do anything about this?"

"The scratches I don't know if I can heal, but," Bastian closed his eyes. Mike's shirt reappeared on his body and the scars healed themselves. "Well, I'll be damned."

* * *

The trio made their way through the fog as Bastian tossed Tiny Tim his metal crutch. "Let the old man have it! Face your fear!"

Tiny Tim whacked Scrooge across the face. "What day is it? 'Tis asskicking day, sir!"

One more good whack and Scrooge fell back through the fog.

"Such power," Hook said as he looked at Terrance. "Instead of killing you, I'll devour you and consume your power for my own!"

"Consume this!" Nibs shouted as he punched Hook in the face. Terrance flew out of his grip as Mike took him into the palm of his hand.

"Are you okay, little buddy?" Mike asked.

"I am now," Terrance told him. "Is that really Hook?"

"No!" Bastian and Nibs shouted in unison as Bastian put a hand on AURYN. "I need something to take this guy out!"

AURYN started to glow as a tick tock sound was heard. A giant crocodile slide through the fog, opening its jaws to devour Hook, who just disappeared where he stood. As soon as he was gone, the crocodile vanished as well.

"Is that it? Is everyone here?" Bastian asked.

"No, where's Huck?" Nibs asked. "What if that thing is killing him right now?"

* * *

"You like that?" Huck asked as he punched Pap Finn in the face again, and then again, not giving the old man a shot to fight back. "I ain't scared of you no more! Ya' hear me, old man! I ain't scared!"

Pap Finn opened his mouth, showing pointed teeth as Huck stepped back, just as the others caught up to him.

"You'll be scared, boy! All of you will be scared! I will devour your fear, and consume your souls!" the old man shouted as he turned into a six foot clown, with even sharper teeth.

"This things feeds on fear," Bastian told them. "So don't let it scare you!"

"Oh, we're far past that," Huck said as he cracked his knuckles. "Just let me at him."

"Well, if we're going to fight a monster, we may as well look the part," Bastian said as AURYN started to glow, turning their clothes into armored versions of what they were already wearing, complete with swords and shields.

"Knights, attack!" Nibs shouted as they rushed forward. The boys started wielding their swords at the creature, who knocked them all back with one strike of its arm. Everyone fell onto their back as the creature just snarled at them while laughing.

"You can't kill me!" the clown shouted. "I am the original fear! I am the thing that man has been scared of since before time itself! I am eternal!"

"You talk too much, good sir!" Tiny Tim shouted as he tossed his metal crutch into the clown's mouth, with went through the back of its head and pinning it to the wall. The creature tried to pull the crutch out, which was when the boys noticed the clown was melting. "

"What was the crutch made of?" Huck asked.

"I don't know, just ordinary metal," Tiny Tim said. "Nothing special."

"You didn't show fear," Bastian told him. "That's what made it powerful enough to take him down. You weren't afraid."

"Of course I wasn't, I'm not scared when I'm with my friends," Tiny Tim told them. The clown finally pulled the crutch out and disappeared into a sewage drain before they could catch him.

"He'll recover, then come back, stronger than ever," Nibs told them.

"Then let's get the hell out of here before it comes back," Huck said as he looked at Bastian. "You think you can use AURYN to get us home?"

"I don't know," Bastian told them as he took AURYN off from around his neck and just looked at it. "There's a lot about this thing, and myself, that I don't know."

Tiny Tim took AURYN and looked closely at it. "We'll, we can tell you everything we know about both of you while we look for a way out of this world."

* * *

The group headed out of the reservoir with Tiny Tim still holding AURYN. Huck put an arm around Bastian's shoulder. "What do you want to know first, buddy?"

"Well, I'd like to know-" Bastian started to say as a powerful blow knocked everyone to the ground, knocking them all unconscious. As they lay in a heap, the winged monkeys towered over them, seeing AURYN in Tiny Tim's hand. One of the monkeys picked the crippled boy up and slung him over its shoulder.

"Oh, no," Terrance said as he saw what was happening and started tugging at Mike's shirt. "Mike, wake up! Wake up!"

The monkeys started flying away with Tiny Tim and AURYN as the rest of the group remained on the ground, unconscious to the world.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	9. Atreyu

**Knights of the Neverending Story #9**

**"Atreyu"**

_Fantasia_

Atreyu, the Greenskinned warrior of the Grassy Plains, rode his horse Artax back toward his village. Artax was the son of Atreyu's first horse, who had died in the Swamps of Sadness. Atreyu had raised the horse from a young colt, vowing to never let anything happen to his new friend. The horse had become a loyal companion, with the two having many adventures together over the last few years.

As the two returned to his village, Atreyu patted Artax on the head gently. "Go feed and rest up, my friend. I won't be long."

The horse nodded and headed for a feeding trough as a young boy came running up to Atreyu. Dakota had just turned 10 years old, with shoulder length blue hair and the same olive skin as his hero, Atreyu. "Atreyu! Atreyu! I'm going on my first hunt today! I got my first bow this morning!"

"You will make a fine hunter, Dakota," Atreyu said as he patted the boy's shoulder. Like Atreyu, the boy had been orphaned not too long after his birth, and had been raised by the entire village. Atreyu in particular had been instrumental in helping him learn the ways of the people, teaching him how to use a bow and arrow, as well as riding a horse.

"Do you think that after my hunt, we can start adventuring together?" Dakota asked hopefully. It had been his dream to ride along with his hero Atreyu, defending Fantasia for the Childlike Empress.

"Perhaps, but first I must speak with Denali about a grave matter," Atreyu told him. "I wish you well with your first hunt, young one. And remember, a warrior only hunts because he is hungry, never for sport, and never, ever for vengeance."

"I promise, Atreyu," the boy said as he ran off to gather his finest arrows.

Atreyu reached the cottage of the village elder, Denali, the oldest and wisest man of the Greenskins. He was like a father to Atreyu, having taught the boy everything he knows. Atreyu calmly knocked as he entered, seeing the white haired old man sitting on the floor, meditating.

"Welcome, Atreyu," Denali said, his eyes still closed. "I have been expecting you."

"Then you know why I have come," Atreyu said as he sat down.

"War is coming," Denali said softly. "And you are worried about your friend."

"Is Bastian alive?" Atreyu asked.

"Yes, but he has amnesia," Denali told him. "AURYN has been stolen from him. War will come to Fantasia if it is not retrieved before it ends up at its intended destination."

"I wish to help Bastian, but how?" Atreyu asked.

"Without AURYN to guide you, joining him at this point is not possible," Denali told him. "However, you may still help your friend by helping to restore his memory so that he can reclaim AURYN."

"How, wise one?" Atreyu asked. "I will do anything."

"The Waters of Remembrance," Denali told him. "You are bonded with Bastian, as every reader of the Neverending Story bonds with an inhabitant of Fantasia. What you experience, Bastian will experience, even though your memories are deep within his subconscious, as his are in yours."

"The Waters of Remembrance will make me remember his life?" Atreyu asked.

"And will make Bastian remember your life, the two of you will be even more connected," Danali said. "The waters will restore him once you have bathed in them. You must hurry, Atreyu, time runs short. AURYN is on its way to evil hands as we speak."

"Thank you, wise one," Atreyu said as he stood up.

"Be careful, Atreyu," Denali said. "You will receive every good memory that the both of you have ever experienced, but you will see the bad, as well, including the death of your parents. Remain strong as you relive old memories. There is one other thing: Using the waters comes with a high price. You will need to pay with something of deep sentimental value. It could be something as small as a necklace that was given to you with love, or it could be something as big as your soul. If you do use the waters, be sure that you are ready to pay the price for restoring your friend."

"I will, Denali," Atreyu told him as he left.

* * *

It took several hours of riding through the plains, but Atreyu had finally arrived at a small wooded area, where the trees were all hunched over, forming a protective dome around something inside. There was no entrance in or out, just a large wooded dome. Atreyu dismounted from Artax and walked toward the trees.

"I wish to use the Waters of Remembrance," Atreyu said. After a few seconds, one of the trees stood up straight, facing Atreyu with a sour look on her face.

"What is your business here, child?" the tree asked in an old woman's voice.

"A friend is in trouble, and only the waters can restore him," Atreyu said. "The fate of Fantasia, and every world, depends on him regaining his memory."

"The Waters of Remembrance are not for your people, nor anyone else," the tree told him. "They are guarded for a reason. Go now, boy, and never return here."

"Please!" Atreyu shouted. "Bastian is my best friend, if he fails, every world is going to be in grave danger, I must save him at any cost!"

"At any cost?" the tree asked, now curious. "What are you willing to pay for restoring the boy's memories, Greenskin?"

"I have nothing to offer, I only come with the shirt on my back," Atreyu told them.

"Is that it?" the tree asked.

"My boots were lovingly hand crafted just for me, from the sturdiest animal hide, and they do mean a lot," Atreyu said as he thought about it. The young warrior had very little of sentimental value. His boots, as well as his bow and arrows were the only possessions he truly valued since they were all crafted with love from his fellow villagers. "The only other thing I carry is the love in my heart."

The tree just rejoined the others to ask them what they thought. Seconds later, the tree returned to him. "Very well, boy, the offer is acceptable. The shirt off of your back, as well as the love in your heart. We will take both as payment."

"You want my love?" Atreyu asked. "What will that do to me?"

"It will make you cold and unfeeling towards the world," the tree told him. "You will never know true happiness, and will ultimately push all you care about away. But you did say you were willing to pay any price, did you not?"

Atreyu thought for a moment. The lives of everyone he cared about were at stake. If war came to Fantasia, people he loved could die. His peaceful village could end up slaughtered. And if Bastian went into a fight without his own memories of love, he could be killed as well.

"I agree to the price," Atreyu said as he stared at the ground.

"Very well, Greenskin, bathe in the Waters of Remembrance, and we shall collect your love upon the retrieval of your friend's memories," the tree told him.

The trees parted just enough for Atreyu to walk through, where a large crystal blue lake awaited him. Atreyu quickly shed his clothes as he stepped into the water until he was chest deep. He took a deep breath and put his head under the water, as the waters started to quickly affect his mind, taking him all the way back to his birth, nearly sixteen years ago.

* * *

"He is perfect," Atreyu's mother, Maiara, said as she held the newborn in her arms.

"He is foretold to do many great things," Danali said as he looked at Atreyu's parents. "I have consulted with the spirits of the ancient ones. He will be our people's greatest champion when he matures."

"A great warrior needs a great name," Atreyu's father, Takoda, said. "He will be known as Atreyu. He will be raised with love and compassion so that he may someday return that love to those around him."

* * *

It wasn't too longer after Atreyu's birth that his parents had been killed in a Purple Buffalo stampede. It wasn't known how the stampede had begun, or who caused it, but Danali had his suspicions. The witch Xayide had also known of Atreyu's future, and had attempted to kill the hild before he became a nuisance for her. Fortunately for the child, he had been spared from death by his mother, who had sacrificed her life to get him to safety before being crushed to death herself.

"Poor Atreyu," Ujarak, the village's greatest hunter, said as he held baby Atreyu in his arms. "His is without family now. What will become of him?"

"No one in this village is ever without family," Denali told him. "The boy will be raised by all of us. Each of us must take a role in making sure Atreyu is loved and brought up in the ways of our people. Ujarak, you will teach the boy to hunt; Tuparrnaq will teach him the ways of harvesting in the fields; I will teach him to read and educate him in the traditions of our people. Everyone will take a role in his upbringing."

* * *

From that day forward, Atreyu had become the son of the whole village. Danali was correct in that everyone would have a role in his upbringing. Since the time he was old enough to walk, Atreyu had learned the trades of everyone who made the village run smoothly. It took several years to get things down correctly, but eventually Atreyu had learned blacksmithing; baking; farming; sewing; midwifing; and the thing he was best at, hunting.

Ujarak had never been known for his compassion towards others, even his wife and daughter were never that close to him, but he had treated Atreyu as his own son and made sure he knew the rules for hunting.

"Only for food. Never for sport, and never for vengeance," seven year old Atreyu said as he held his first bow, which had been custom made for him.

"You'll make a fine hunter," Ujarak told him as his daughter brought them some freshly baked bread and fresh water from the well.

"Mother thought you two would get hungry," Aylen said as she set the basket down. She was Atreyu's age, with long, flowing pink hair. "Hello, Atreyu,"

"Hello, Aylen," Atreyu blushed. He really liked her, but with spending time with everyone in the village, he had little time to be with her currently. "Thank you for the food."

She reached into the basket and handed him a loaf of bread, their hands touching as Atreyu took it. He blushed even more as he stared at the ground.

* * *

As Atreyu grew older, so did his responsibilities in the village. He didn't have to split his time between vocations as much, although he did love taking the odd day off to bake. Soon, Atreyu had quickly become the village's second top hunter next to Ujarak, although an injury had caused the older man to not be able to do as much physical work. A storm two years ago had knocked a tree over, and would have crushed several people had Ujarak not summoned every ounce of strength to keep it pushed up enough to let them escape, hurting his back in the process.

"The day is coming soon, Atreyu," Ujarak told the boy. "You will be the village's top food gatherer, and next to Denali, the person this village looks to for survival."

"I'm not as strong as you, Ujarak," Atreyu said. "Nor as brave."

"You are stronger and braver than you give yourself credit for," the man told him. "On your next birthday, you will be a man, and you will be allowed to choose your mate soon after."

Atreyu looked out into the field, where Aylen was helping with the harvest.

"Take good care of her, Atreyu," Ujarak told him. "And be sure to produce many strong grandchildren for us."

"Ujarak, please," Atreyu blushed, wondering if she would indeed have him when he was allowed to choose. There was another suitor for her hand. Apenimon was Atreyu and Aylen's age, and all three of them had been close since an early age. But while Atreyu had many responsibilities in the village, Apenimon was the baker's son, who had taught both of his friends how to make better food than anyone else. But the sad fact was that both boys loved Aylen, and only one of them could have her.

* * *

It was the day that the boys of the village who were turning 13 to choose their mates. It was a yearly tradition, and a strict one. Those who did not choose their mates on this day would not be allowed to marry, or reproduce when they were old enough, as was the law of the ancient spirits. Atreyu got up early, got cleaned up and headed out to the field to pick the finest flowers to he could ask Aylen for her hand as soon as she left her cottage.

As Atreyu was out in the field, just after dawn, looking for the finest flowers, a bird flew overhead. It was a small, multi-colored bird, whose colors changed every few seconds. It landed on Atreyu's wrist and cooed softly.

"The Childlike Empress has summoned me immediately?" Atreyu asked, hearing the bird's message very clearly in his mind. "No, not today. Today is the day that-"

The bird cooed again, louder in his head before flying away, having told him that it wasn't a request. The bird flew away, headed back toward the palace as Atreyu just looked back toward his village.

* * *

After leaving a message with Denali, Atreyu rode toward the palace of the Childlike Empress, wondering why she had to choose today to summon him. As it turned out, today would be the day that Atreyu would be sent on the greatest quest of his young life. The one where he would suffer the loss of his beloved horse, Artax; where he would fight the Nothing and help cure the Childlike Empress of her illness; and where he would meet the greatest friend he would ever know, Bastian Balthazar Bux, the hero of Fantasia. But that's a tale you should already know...

* * *

It would be days before Atreyu returned to the village, a hero to Fantasia and his people, as they had already heard the tales of his heroics. Unfortunately, traditions could not be broken, as the first thing that Atreyu saw when he returned to the village upon the back of Falkor the Luck Dragon was his beloved Aylen, holding hands with his best friend.

After Falkor had left to have more adventures of his own, Atreyu choked back the tears and calmly approached Aylen and Apenimon. He reached out his hand to shake his best friend's hand.

"Take good care of her," Atreyu said. "I know she will be in good hands."

"Atreyu, you need to know... I would have chosen him regardless," Aylen said to the young warrior. "You are brave, and strong, but... you are the Childlike Empresss' champion now. You will now be summoned to leave the village for adventures on a moment's notice. Adventures that I, or a child we would have, could never join you on. I wish you to find love, Atreyu. A love that can follow you to the ends of Fantasia."

Atreyu just nodded as he headed back to the cottage he shared with the other orphaned children of the village, which at the moment was just him and Dakota, who was also beginning his vocation training.

"I suppose you wish to hear the tales of my adventure," Atreyu said to the boy as he sat down on his cot.

"Maybe later," Dakota said as he stared through a hole in the roof into the night sky. "I'm counting stars. Want to count, too? I always find the biggest one to make a wish on."

Atreyu just smiled as he lay next to the boy and stared up into the sky, silently counting the stars, which would become a favorite past time for the two over the next few years. Even though Atreyu had lost the chance for love, he would go on to have many more adventures in Fantasia, some with Bastian, and some with other friends he would make along the way.

But those are stories for another time...

* * *

Atreyu gasped as he came above water, his blue hair soaking wet as he brushed it out of his eyes. As he remembered his own past, he instantly started seeing the memories of his friend Bastian. He could see every memory as clear as day.

Bastian's first day of school; his mother teaching him how to swim before her death, which would prompt Bastian's fear of water later in life; Atreyu could see Bastian learning to ride a bike, and later a skateboard; Bastian's first boy/girl party where Bastian got his first kiss on the cheek from a girl he admired; He could tasted Bastian's first taste of ice cream, and the sour taste of his first brussel sprout.

Atreyu could see every moment of Bastian's nearly 16 years of life. Every joy, every heartache, every laugh, and every tear. He now felt closer to the boy than he ever had. As Atreyu climbed out of the Waters of Remembrance, crawling along the ground as his mind adjusted to having two sets of memories. As he felt his mind reconfiguring itself, he fell onto his stomach and passed out.

It was hours later as Atreyu began to open his eyes, seeing the faces of the trees that made up the dome staring down at him. He had rolled over onto his back, and found that he had dried off while he slept. He quickly reached for his boots and pants, finding his shirt was missing. He looked around and saw his sleeveless shirt up in one of the trees, having been embedded into the bark.

"What is that for?" Atreyu asked weakly.

"A symbol," the lead tree said to him. "Of what you have given so that you may save your friend. We must now collect the other thing you promised. We must take the love in your heart."

"If you take my love, will I not turn into a horrible creature like the witch Xayide, or worse, the Nothing?" Atreyu asked as he pulled on his boots.

"Perhaps," the tree said. "But then again, having no love may turn you into a stronger warrior."

"No, having no love will make me weaker, for I will have no compassion," Atreyu told them. "I will be no better than the evil creatures who seek to destroy Fantasia. What if this forces me to fight my best friend Bastian? If he dies, all is lost."

"The boy is wise," the tree said to her companions as they all agreed. "Usually the more human creatures do not have such wisdom among them. This one appears to be special."

"Let me keep my love, I beg of you," Atreyu said as he looked around. "I'll give you anything else."

"Very well," the tree said. "You may keep your love, but remember, there is a price to be paid for using the Waters of Remembrance. Someone shall pay that price, Atreyu of the Greenskins. A price for everything. You have kept the love in your heart, something that you may one day soon regret."

* * *

It was later than night when Atreyu returned to the village, too tired to think. He just wanted to sleep, for he had a long day of journeying tomorrow. He was to begin the rallying of the inhabitants of Fantasia in case of war, and Falkor would be there early.

As he headed into the village, something didn't seem right. There was smoke coming from the center of the village. Atreyu raced toward the cause of the smoke, seeing a smoking crater where he shared a cottage with Dakota.

"What happened?" Atreyu asked with fear in his voice. "Where's Dakota?"

"A falling star," Ajarak said to Atreyu said. "It just... came from out of nowhere. I'm sorry, Atreyu. Dakota's gone."

Atreyu fell to his knees, crying over the little brother who had been in the cottage.

_"You may keep your love, but remember, there is a price to be paid for using the Waters of Remembrance. Someone shall pay that price, Atreyu of the Greenskins."_

Atreyu looked up as he remembered the words of the tree people, whispering to himself. "I did this."

* * *

It took half the night as Atreyu raced back toward the Waters of Remembrance. He quickly dismounted and ran toward the trees.

"Bring him back!" Atreyu shouted, his voice breaking as he screamed. He tossed off his boots and kicked them toward the trees. "I'm the one who used the waters! I should have been the one to have to pay for using them! Take my boots! Take all my clothes! Take my love, and my soul! Take everything that I am if you must! Just take whatever you want from me! Let me pay the price!"

"You have already paid the price," the tree told him as it turned around, with Atreyu's sleeveless shirt embedded in it. Only now it had been covered in the blood of a small child. "A price for everything, Atreyu of the Greenskins. _A price for everything_."

_**Next: Road to the War of Oz!**_


	10. The Yellow Brick Road to Hell

_Bastian Bux has returned to the literary world, this time gathering characters from several different books, guiding them across the literary universe to keep AURYN out of the hands of the new Wicked Witch of Oz. When we last left our heroes, an amnesic Bastian and his friends Huck Finn, Tiny Tim, Nibs the Lost Boy, Mike Teavee, and Terrance the Fairy had been knocked out by one of the Witch's winged monkeys, who proceeded to take both AURYN and Tiny Tim back to Oz!_

**Knights of the Neverending Story #10**

**"The Yellow Brick Road To Hell"**

"Come on, wake up!" Terrance shouted as he tugged at Mike's collar. "Wake up! Tiny Tim's been taken, along with AURYN and I'm not fast enough to catch up! Guys, wake up!"

As Bastian slept, having been knocked unconscious by the winged monkey, he started having dreams about his past. Everything was coming back to him, and he could see it all. And not just his own past, but the past of the warrior Atreyu. He was seeing both lives unfold before him as he remembered, even with AURYN there to guide his sleeping mind. Shortly, Bastian bolted up and screamed.

"Would you cut the noise down, I have a headache somethin' fierce!" Huck said as he started to wake up, followed by the others.

"Huck? Mike?" Bastian as he remembered his friends clearly. "Nibs?"

"You remember us?" Mike asked. "That's great! Now we can get out of here!"

"No, he can't," Terrance said as he flew in front of them. "That's what I've been trying to tell you! AURYN's been stolen!"

* * *

Tiny Tim opened his eyes, seeing his was slung over the shoulder of the giant winged monkey that had taken both him and AURYN. It looked they were flying through the same portal that had taken him out of his home world of old London into Neverland. Soon, the winged monkey arrived at the other end of the portal, arriving in the land of Oz. a bright and colorful land.

"What is this place?" Tiny Tim asked as he saw AURYN dangling from the monkey's hand. "AURYN. I have to get it away from this monster and back to Bastian, but I lost my crutch."

* * *

That winged monkey has two of our friends, and AURYN," Bastian told them. "But now we can't follow him."

"Maybe we can," Terrance said as he flew over Bastian, sprinkling him in fairy dust. "We'll just have to take the long route."

"The long route to where?" Huck asked. "We don't know where-"

"Oz," Bastian realized as he smacked his forehead. "It's been right in front of me the whole damn time! Winged monkeys? Only one book has winged monkeys. The Wizard of Oz! Well, that and Trump's autobiography. We have to go to Oz, that's where Tiny Tim, and Huck, and AURYN are!"

"Then start thinkin' happy thoughts, 'cause we're goin' there!" Huck told him. "We're gettin' my best friend back, and ain't no one gonna stand in our way!"

"I love it when you get tough," Nibs said as Huck blushed.

"You should see me in my own world," Huck told him.

"Seriously? You guys are flirting right now? Why are you flirting, period?" Bastian asked as he thought about it as his eyes widened while looking both of them up and down when it finally hit him like a ton of bricks. "Dude... seriously? I don't remember that being in the books."

"Hey, the story doesn't end just because you reach the end of the book," Huck reminded him. "You got a problem with us likin' each other?"

"What? No!" Bastian said. "It's just... I feel like I'm screwing everything up just by being here. You guys are out of your worlds, AURYN's on its way to a witch, and who knows what kind of damage is being done to your books by Tom, Huck, Tiny Tim and Mike being gone from their worlds."

"You're thinkin' too hard 'bout this," Huck said as he slapped Bastian on the back. "Ain't the first time me and Tom have gone missin' for days on end. We'll go home and it'll be like we weren't even gone."

"All I'm missing is a stupid chocolate factory tour," Mike said. "I don't even like chocolate. The other kids can have the dumb prize, I don't care. It's not like me being gone's going to ruin anything, right?"

"I guess not," Bastian said as he shook his head. "Okay, let's go get our friends back. Happy thought, happy thought," Bastian said as he started thinking about the first time he read the Neverending Story. He slowly started lifting off the ground. "Okay, this is kind of weird."

"Just roll with it," Huck said as the group started flying into the sky.

* * *

As the winged monkey flew toward the Witch's castle, Tiny Tim took the opportunity to grab a loose tree branch as they flew through the forest.

"Alright, this is where I get off!" Tiny Tim shouted as he smacked the monkey in the face with the branch. The boy fell out of the creature's grip, grabbing AURYN out of the monkey's hand as he fell, realizing just how high up he was. "Maybe this wasn't the best plan," Tiny Tim's leg caught between two branches, leaving him hanging from a tree as he held AURYN in his hands. "Well, this could be worse."

Which was when a lion, a tiger, and bear came out of the bushes and looked up at the dangling food, which was just out of their reach.

"Well.. damn," Tiny Tim said under his breath.

* * *

"We don't have AURYN to guide us, how will we know what world to go to?" Mike asked as the group headed toward the stars.

"AURYN will lead us to it," Bastian said as he closed his eyes. "Huck's love for his friend will lead us, too. Everything we need to find is in Oz, so just focus on AURYN, and Tom, and Tiny Tim, just like how you guys found me."

"Yeah, after a dozen or so side trips to other worlds," Huck told him. "We just about never found you."

"Bastian, what happens if we're too late and the Witch gets AURYN?" Nibs asked.

"Then she'll have the power to conquer any world she wants," Bastian replied. "So we have to stop her, no matter what. The fate of the literary universe is on us, boys. We're all that stands between her and the destruction of everything."

"But no pressure, or anything," Mike said jokingly.

* * *

"Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh crap!" Tiny Tim shouted as he continued hanging from the tree, where several forest creatures were trying to get to him. The bear got up on its hind legs and started shaking the tree. "What, do I look like a honeycomb? Stop that!"

Tiny Tim saw his leg was being shaken loose as he looked at AURYN. "Don't just sit there, do something!"

As his leg came unstuck, the boy fell toward the ground, just as lion jumped out of the brush and grabbed him, landing safely on the ground. The lion put the boy down and roared loudly for all to hear, as the other animals started running away.

"You're going to eat me, aren't you?" Tiny Tim asked.

"You're way too scrawny for my tastes, child," the former Cowardly Lion said. "How did you come to be stuck in a tree like that?"

"It's a long story," Tiny Tim said as he held up AURYN. "But my friends will be hopefully be coming for me anytime now. We have to keep this safe."

"I'll take you to the Emerald City," the Lion said. "Get on my back and I'll take you there!"

* * *

Fantasia?" Bastian asked as the group crashed, landing on top of one another in the Childlike Empress's palace. "We were supposed to be in Oz. The Witch has AURYN!"

"The Witch has yet to get ahold of AURYN, it is in good hands for the moment," the Childlike Empress told the group. "Oz will be your next journey after you have obtained one more member of your group."

"Another member?" Bastian asked as he looked around. "I don't understand. I thought I was just randomly pulling people into this chaos."

"No, Bastian," the Childlike Empress told him. "Everything that has been happening has been for a reason. Everyone who has joined your quest each brings something unique which will be of vital importance in bringing peace between worlds."

"Yeah, right, what am I supposed to bring? I was a violence loving kid who just wanted to own a real pistol before I came here," Mike told her. "And now that I'm here, I never want to see another gun again."

"You will soon discover your real strength, Mike Teavee," the Childlike Empress promised him. "As will you all."

"So, who else do we need?" Bastian asked.

"You need a powerful sorcerer," the Childlike Empress said. "Even if he doesn't realize what he possesses. While AURYN can not lead you to this world, the love in your hearts can. Let your love guide you, all of you, and you will always get to where you need to be."

"Empress, what about Atreyu? Can he not join us yet?" Bastian asked.

"Soon, Bastian, but first you must get AURYN before it is too late, and only your new friend's magic will be strong enough to stand up against the Witch's dark power. You must hurry, and good luck," the Childlike Empress told him.

* * *

_Oz_

The Lion led Tiny Tim behind him as the boy limped into the throne room, where Queen Dorothy was sitting on her throne. Tom Sawyer had been given new clothes to wear, as well as a bo staff that he was training with. If we going to be stuck in Oz, he'd have to learn to fight if the Wicked Witch attacked.

"Dorothy, this is Tiny Tim, he brings news from outside of Oz,' the Lion told her as Dorothy stood up to meet him, as Tom recognized AURYN in Tiny Tim's hand.

"That's Bastian's fancy necklace!" Tom shouted. "What are you doing with that?"

"You know of Bastian?" Tiny Tim asked. "We got knocked out on another world, and when I came to, this giant winged monkey had me and AURYN. The others are still stuck in that world with that child-eating clown!"

"Tiny Tim, you must tell us all that you know," Dorothy told him as she looked at Tom. "Perhaps you can fill in the blanks that Tom can't."

"Was Huck with you? Is he alright?" Tom asked. "Is he alive?"

"Yeah, he's alive," Tiny Tim told him. "But without AURYN, I don't know how they're going to find their way here."

"The Witch mustn't get her hands on this," Dorothy said. "Tin Man? Safeguard this amulet."

"Yes, Dorothy," the Tin Man said as he opened his chest and placed AURYN inside for safe keeping.

"Now, Tiny Tim, tell us what you know so that we may better know how to stop the Wicked Witch before she strikes again," Dorothy said.

* * *

Bastian, Huck, Nibs, Mike, and Terrance arrived in the next world, once again landing right on top of one another.

"We have really got to work on those landings," Bastian said from the bottom of the pile. "Anyone have any clue where we are?"

"Judging from the weather, it's summertime," Huck said as he looked up.

"It looks like we're out in the country," Mike said as he looked at the open fields. "This can't be the 20th century, but I thought the Childlike Empress said we were looking for someone magical."

"Pretty sure magic's existed long before the 20th century," Terrance told him.

"Yeah, like voodoo magic," Huck told him. "Don't mess around with that kind of dark power, or the devil himself will drag you down to the bowels of Hell."

"Maybe we should knock on that cottage door," Bastian said as he looked at his friends, who were all dressed in fancy fighting gear and costumes, while Bastian still had his normal clothes. "Uh, maybe I should knock. Don't want to frighten the locals."

"We'll just hang out over there," Huck said as Bastian walked off. "Yell if you need us."

"You guys are going somewhere to make out, aren't you?" Mike asked dryly as he looked at Huck and Nibs.

"Boy's got a right sharp mind on him," Huck smirked.

"Come on, Terrance, I see a water well, and I'm thirsty," Mike said as the fairy followed him. They arrived at the well as Mike started pulling up the bucket to get a drink of water. As Terrance sat down on a nearby bale of hay, a large shadow loomed over him. He looked over his shoulder and saw an owl hungrily looking down on him.

"Two minutes into this world, and I already hate this book," Terrance squeaked.

As Bastian knocked on the door of the cottage, it opened as he saw someone who looked very familiar, at least to the image he'd created in his mind of the character.

"You have got to be kidding me," Bastian said.

**Next: The Oz War Begins!**


	11. The Oz War, Part 1

_Bastian Balthazar Bux has returned to the pages of the Neverending Story through the powers of the mystical AURYN, but now he has been granted the power of going into the pages of any story he wishes. But this new gift has awakened the Wicked Witch of the Southwest, who now seeks AURYN'S power for her own use._

_Bastian and his newly collected group of friends, including Huck Finn and Mike Teavee, are the only ones who can stop her, but with AURYN currently in the possession of Tiny Tim and Bastian's team recruiting one final member, the Wicked Witch gets ever closer to her goal..._

**Knights of the Neverending Story #11**

**"The Oz War, Part 1"**

Terrance had been worn out as he landed on Mike's shoulder. the airy had managed to get away from the owl by tricking it into crashing into a tree before returning to his friend.

"You look tired," Mike said as he poured some water into his hand for Terrance to drink from. "What have you been doing?"

"You wouldn't believe me," Terrance said as he drank as much water as he could. Bastian returned, followed by Huck and Nibs.

"Where's our new member?" Mike asked.

"He's not coming," Bastian said. "It's kind of... complicated. You guys don't know this book. I guess we came after some very... dark stuff went down. He's not interested in doing, well, anything."

"So we came all this way for nothing?" Huck asked as he kicked the air. "That's just great. The Childlike Empress said we needed someone magic, and we got sent here. Are you sure you got the right guy?"

"He's the only one here," Bastian said. "Frankly I kind of expected someone else- ANYONE else- but this is where we landed, so I have to assume that-"

"Bastian, look," Nibs said as he pointed at someone coming from the cabin. "Is that him?"

"Yeah, he's probably going to tell us to get lost," Bastian said.

"I'm in," the young man said.

"What made you change your mind?" Bastian asked.

"Because you might be able to give me something I want," he said. "I want-"

* * *

The Wicked Witch of the Southwest was completing her latest spell as she smiled evilly while looking into her crystal ball. Outside, her winged monkey minions were gathering around the castle, and thanks to a powerful duplication spell, their ranks were growing by the second.

"Glinda's powers continue to increase my own magic," the Wicked Witch said. "But still, I have yet to be able to open a door between worlds large enough to bring all under my rule. But that will change very soon."

The Wicked Witch waved her hands around the crystal ball, seeing the Tin Man put AURYN into his metal chest.

"Soon, the power of that amulet will allow me to conquer every world, starting with Oz," the Wicked Witch said as she stepped out onto her balcony, looking over her ever increasing army. "I dare not attempt a full siege of the Emerald City while they possess the amulet. So we will bring the amulet to us. I need a small group to complete a surgical strike!"

* * *

"I can't believe this is a real place," Tiny Tim said as he looked out over Oz from the top floor of the Emerald City Tower. The poppy fields were in full bloom as he took in the view. "It's far more beautiful than anything I've ever seen."

"How's the leg brace?" the Tin Man asked as Tiny Tim tapped on it.

"It's way better than having to use a crutch, but I miss having something to swing around," Tiny Tim said. "Especially with a witch gunning for us."

"If it's a weapon you need, I can gladly make you a crutch to swing at that witch," Tin Man told him.

"I think we need to focus on bigger things," Dorothy said as she stood at the door. "Like the Wicked Witch now having all of Glinda's magic at her disposal. If that amulet is as powerful as you two say it is, then it must be protected from her at all costs. If she got ahold of that, it would mean the end of Oz."

"The end of every world, actually," Tiny Tim said. "I just wish there was a way of contacting Bastian to let him know where we are."

"Dorothy, you still have the silver slippers," Scarecrow said as he thought up an idea. "They have the power to teleport its wearer anywhere they wish."

"Of course, you can take AURYN back to Bastian so that he may come here and defeat the Witch with its power," Dorothy said as she looked at Tiny Tim. "Between AURYN and the silver slippers, we may have a chance of stopping the Wicked Witch once and for all."

* * *

"Bastian, a word over here?" Huck asked as he led Bastian away from the others. "Can you do that?"

"You saw what happened in Neverland with the Lost Boys," Bastian said.

"You also had more powerful magic helpin' you," Huck said. "This is dark stuff we're talkin' about here. Voodoo level stuff. You don't go messin' with that kind of dark magic."

"What other choice do we have, Huck?" Bastian asked. "We need this guy to stop the Wicked Witch. It'll all work out, I hope."

"What do you mean you're out of fairy dust?" Mike asked as he held Terrance upside down and gently shook him. "Come on, man, give up the stuff!"

"We're not in Neverland, and I don't have an endless supply!" Terrance shouted as Bastian and Huck returned. "Besides, I might have... relieved myself of the last of it while I was being chased by that owl."

"Without fairy dust, our new friend can't fly with us to Oz," Bastian said.

"Uh, guys?"

"Maybe we can fly back to Fantasia. It's connected to Neverland now, we can gas up and be on our way in no time," Nibs suggested.

"Guys?"

"Ain't no time for that, the Witch is gonna make her move any minute now," Huck told them. "Maybe we should-"

"GUYS!"

All heads turned toward the newest member of their group.

"I have an idea."

* * *

Tiny Tim removed his boots, leaving them in the corner as the silver slippers were brought to him. "Aren't those a little... girly?"

"It's true, a man has never worn them before, but they should work just as well for you," Dorothy told him. "As soon as the Tin Man returns, he will return AURYN to you. Then you just have to think of your friends and wish yourself to them."

"Right, then I'll bring Bastian and the guys here and we'll show that Wicked Witch what's what," Tiny Tim said as he sat down and put the slippers on. "Hey, they fit perfectly."

"And they will remain perfectly fit until you yourself either remove them and hand them to another owner, or you are defeated and the shoes are taken," Dorothy told him. "Take care of them, Tim."

"Hey, let's not get carried away. I'm not planning on keeping these things, once I get back with Bastian, they're all yours again, your majesty," Tiny Tim told her.

The Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion all walked into the room. The Tin Man presented Tiny Tim with a shiny new crutch.

"Just in case you need it," Tin Man told him. "Now for AURYN."

Just as the Tin Man was about to open his chest to retrieve the amulet, the wall exploded, knocking everyone off balance. Before they knew what was going on, the Tin Man found himself flying out of the room, attaching to a large magnet being held by a squad of flying monkeys. The Wicked Witch was floating on her broomstick nearby.

"Hey!" Tiny Tim shouted. "Bring him back!"

"I'll return him in pieces once I have the amulet!" the Wicket Witch shouted as she saw the shoes on Tiny Tim. "The silver slippers!"

"That's right, double ugly!" Tiny Tim shouted. "And you can't take them unless you-"

A powerful blast from the Wicked Witch's simple flicking sent Tiny Tim flying right through the wall, where several monkeys flew in to retrieve him. Dorothy and the Lion quickly went to defend him, but the other winged monkeys kept them distracted. Tiny Tim was soon dragged out while unconscious.

"You're defeated, boy, the slippers are mine!" the Wicked Witch shouted as she pulled the slippers off of him while the monkeys held him. "Drop him!"

"No!" Dorothy shouted as the monkeys let him go. The boy fell toward the poppy field as the Wicked Witch just cackled as her. The rest of the winged monkeys returned to the air as the Wicked Witch stared down at the poppy field. She held out her hand and began to spread the field, covering the castle in the sleeping poppies.

"That should take care of Queen Dorothy and whoever else has any ideas of opposing me in the Emerald City!" the Wicked Witch shouted. "Back to the castle! We have an amulet to retrieve!"

The Wicked Witch and the winged monkeys flew back toward the castle as Tiny Tim lay cushioned by the expanded poppy field.

* * *

"The silver slippers and the amulet!" the Wicked Witch shouted as the Tin Man's chest was ripped open by the largest flying monkey she had. The Witch reached in and started pulling out random objects from the inside of him. Keys, toys, jewelry, tools, and many other things until a pile was laying on the floor. Finally, she pulled out AURYN, holding it in her hand. "At last."

"That doesn't belong to you!" the Tin Man shouted.

"Pipe down!" the Wicked Witch said as she thought about it. "Hmm, that's not a bad idea. Monkeys, take him to the boiler room! We'll melt him down and use him to rebuild my personal bathroom next week!"

As the Wicked Witch looked at AURYN and the slippers, she started to think. "The amulet's true owner won't be too far behind. This... Bastian Balthazar Bux could be a potential threat to me. Monkeys! Get the gas masks so the poppies don't affect you and return to the Emerald City, I have need of one more thing!"

* * *

Some time later, in the sky over the Emerald City, a light blue flying Ford Anglia appeared in the sky before coming to a halt in the forest near the castle. Bastian, Mike, Huck, Nibs, and Terrance tumbled out, along with the driver of the car. Once they were all on the ground, the car just honked and took off into the air again, until it was nothing but a twinkle in the sky.

"Never one for goodbyes, that one," George Weasely said as he stood up, having grown his red hair out to cover the missing ear on his left said. "Lucky for us the car was within summoning distance."

"Are we in the right place?" Nibs asked. "Is this Oz?"

Bastian looked up into the night sky. "I suppose so. The Childlike Empress said our love would lead us where ever we needed to go, so this must be it."

"Then where's Tom? And Tiny Tim?" Huck asked. "TOM!"

"Shh," Bastian said as he pulled Huck back. "We don't know what the situation is here yet. And without AURYN, we don't have real protection from-"

"Protego Totalum!" George said as he held up his wand, creating a protection spell around the group. "That should buy us a little time to come up with a plan."

"Okay, first thing's first," Bastian said. "We find out where Tom and Tiny Tim are. We find Tiny Tim, we find AURYN."

"Well, we should be within spittin' distance of AURYN right now, maybe it'll sense you're here," Huck told him. "You know this place better than anyone, where would they go?"

"Well, if Tom managed to get away, and if Tiny Tim got to safety, then I'd say... the Emerald City," Bastian said. "Let's find the nearest yellow brick road and get moving."

As soon as the group stepped out of the forest, Mike spotted a large structure in the distance. "Hey, Bastian, what's that place?"

"That's odd, the shape kind of reminds me of the Emerald City, but that place is blood red," Bastian told him. "It kind of looks like it's covered in poppies."

"Poppies make me sneeze," Huck said.

"You're adorable when you sneeze," Nibs told him.

"Hey, hey, hey, none of that!" Bastian told them. "We've got enough on our plate without you two pawing at each other. Besides, if I'm right, those poppies won't make you sneeze, they'll make you sleep. And it looks like we might be too late if the Emerald City is covered in them."

"George, can you cast a spell? Maybe get rid of the poppies?" Mike asked.

"We're talking miles and miles of poppies, I'm not that good," George told him. "I can cast a protection spell to keep the pollen from affecting us."

"Then do it," Bastian said. "We're going in and finding out what the hell happened."

* * *

The monkeys returned with Tiny Tim, dropping the unconscious boy off at the Wicked Witch's feet.

"Just a little scratched, but nothing that'll keep him from obeying my orders," the Wicked Witch said as she looked at her winged monkeys. "Leave us! I require all my concentration for this."

As the winged monkeys left the room, the Wicked Witch just gave a hideous smile as Tiny Tim started waking up.

"Oh, good, you're awake. Now the real fun can begin," the Wicked Wich said as she started waving her hands around in circular motion. "Powers of darkness, powers of evil, take this boy's mind and bend it to my will. Powers of chaos, powers of the night, take this boy's body, and twist it to my sight!"

From outside of the chamber, the guards at the door heard the sounds of clothes ripping, while Tiny Tim screamed in murderous pain before dead silence filled the air seconds later. After a few more seconds, the Wicked Witch's evil laugh filled the air.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	12. The Oz War, Part 2

**Knights of the Neverending Story #12**

**"The Oz War, Part 2"**

"Tom's in there," Huck said as he looked toward the Emerald City Tower, which was now covered in sleep-inducing poppies. "I can feel it. My little buddy's in there somewhere."

"We won't be any use to him or anyone if we fall asleep too," Bastian told him. "George, can you get us past this?"

"It'll be tricky," George told him. "This is a powerful magic behind these flowers."

"AURYN could fix all of this," Bastian said. "What if the Witch already has it?"

"Then we get it back," Nibs said as he put a hand on Bastian's shoulder. "Don't give up now, Bastian. We've come this far. Let's save our friends and kick that Witch's butt."

"Perhaps I can conjure up some gas masks," George suggested. "I can teleport in, but I can only take one of you with me."

"I'll go," Huck said. "I want to make sure Tom's okay."

"You two be careful," Bastian told them. "You have no idea what's waiting in there."

"What he said," Nibs said as he gently kissed Huck. "Come back safe."

Huck blushed as he walked over to George. Moments later, they were inside the tower with gas masks protecting them from the poppies.

"So, what do we do while we wait?" Mike asked.

"We make a plan," Bastian told them. "We make a list of what we have to fight with, and how to take on the Witch once we take the fight to her."

* * *

The Wicked Witch put on the silver slippers while wearing AURYN around her neck. She started cackling as she stood up, feeling as powerful as ever.

"I can feel the power," the Wicked Witch said as she stretched her arms. "Oz is mine! And soon, everything beyond Oz will be mine, as well! The door will require a lot of magic to open it so I can invade other worlds, but soon I will have more than enough power to do so. In the meantime, fly my monkeys, fly! Claim Oz for your new queen!"

"So, this is everything?" Bastian asked.

"No weapons, no real magic beyond George, and none of us really knows how to fight," Mike told him. "I mean, I can throw my book pretty hard, but I don't know how much damage that'll do to a six-foot winged monkey."

"Everyone, just- just keep your boots on, please," Bastian said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "Let's start this again. We know what we DON'T have. So what do we have? What are our actual strengths here?"

"Well, Huck's got some muscle on him, and I've seen him throw a pretty mean punch," Mike said.

"Okay, that's a good start," Bastian said as he looked at Nibs. "I saw you carrying a dagger when we were in Neverland. What happened to that?"

"I must have lost it when we were searching for you," Nibs said. "But if I can get another one, I'm pretty good with a blade."

"And we've seen Tiny Tim wield that crutch like a weapon," Bastian said. "Mike, about those pistols-"

"Gonna stop you right there, chief," Mike told him. "I ain't pickin' up anymore guns. I'm done with weapons."

"What about me?" Terrance asked.

"You're small, you've got speed and the element of surprise," Bastian said. "You can get into places the rest of us can't. I guess I'm the only one here who has nothing to contribute."

"Are you kidding? Bastian, you're our leader, the brains of this outfit," Mike said. "Without you, we really are the Lost Boys."

"Yeah, so get off your butt and lead us, already," Nibs told him. "What's our next move?"

"Well, I guess we should-" Bastian started to say as the moonlight started dimming. "That's odd, it's already night. Why is it getting darker?"

"Maybe because something's drowning out the moon and stars," Mike said as he pointed to the sky. "What is that?"

The army of monkeys had begun to spread out through Oz, headed toward every land to start their conquest.

"An army," Bastian whispered. "We are too late. The Witch must have AURYN now. We've already lost."

* * *

Inside of the Emerald City, Huck and George were wearing gas masks as they walked around, seeing everyone inside had fallen asleep.

"Isn't there any way to stop this?" Huck asked.

"My magic's not strong enough for this kind of thing," George told him. "We're talking dozens of people, maybe more that have been affected by the poppies."

They reached the throne room, where Dorothy, the Lion, and Tom were all passed out on the floor.

"Tom?" Huck said as he noticed his best friend. "TOM!" Huck immediately raced over and pulled Tom into his lap. "Come on, buddy, wake up. It's me, Huck. Come on, Sawyer, wake your ass up. Please, wake up for me."

"It's no use," the Scarecrow said as he walked in. "The poppies are too powerful. Everyone's going to remain asleep as long as the poppies are surrounding the city."

"Okay, I'm going to try something," George said as he stood up. "Never attempted a spell this big before, so I don't know if it'll work."

George pulled out his wand and held it out as he concentrated. A blue energy started to ripple forward, but within seconds the energy repelled back into the wand, sending George flying onto his back.

"What happened?" Scarecrow asked.

"I lost my focus," George whispered. "I tried to cast a freezing spell to get rid of the poppies, but then I started thinking about... Fred, and how he'd handle this."

"Who's Fred?" Scarecrow asked.

"Long story," Huck said as he picked Tom up and slung him over his shoulder. "If we can't stop the poppies, then let's get Tom away from the source."

"We can't carry everyone out," George told him.

"We need Dorothy, she can fight the Witch," Scarecrow said. "And the Lion, too."

"I can't teleport more than one person, and now I'm not even sure I can handle that anymore," George said.

"Then carry Dorothy, I'll stay behind and try to find a way to destabilize the poppy's effects," Scarecrow told them. "Once you're a safe distance away, they should both wake up."

George picked Dorothy up as Huck looked at the Scarecrow. "We'll be back, I promise."

Soon the two young men were walking out of the Emerald City with Tom and Dorothy in their arms. Huck couldn't see George's face, but he could tell what he was thinking.

"This ain't your fault," Huck told him. "The Witch's magic is pretty powerful stuff. You might not have been able to pull it off, no matter what you tried."

"I haven't pulled off a decent spell since Fred died," George told him. "He was my partner, my best friend. Without him, I'm nothing. Maybe you and your friends are better off without me."

Huck just stared down at Tom as they continued walking, wondering if he could go on if his best friend had died.

* * *

"Alright, I say we cut our losses and find a nice little island somewhere to live out the rest of our days," Mike said as he watched the swarm of winged monkeys spread throughout Oz.

"Nah, with our luck, we'd just end up on the same island as 'Lord of the Flies'," Bastian said. "Our only chance now is to get AURYN back so we can fix this mess. And to do that, we have to stop her before she starts invading other worlds."

"Then what's our play, boss?" Mike asked.

"We wait for George and Huck, then we hit the Witch's castle," Bastian told him. Nibs pointed out toward the yellow brick road. "I see someone coming!"

Huck and George returned, setting Tom and Dorothy down in the grass.

"How long do we have to wait for the poppies to wear off?" Huck asked as he held Tom's hand.

"Hopefully not long," Bastian told him as he looked at Dorothy. "Is that who I think it is?"

"A Scarecrow told us she'd be our best shot at beating the Witch," George told him. "I tried to break the spell over the city, but I-"

"I told him to save his magic for the big fight," Huck interrupted. "We'll need everything we have when we go up against her," Huck felt someone squeezing his hand. "Tom?"

"Huck?" Tom asked. "Am I dead?"

"No, little buddy, you're right here with me," Huck smiled as Tom opened his eyes. "Don't go tellin' nobody, but I was worried about you."

"I was worried about you, too," Tom said. "Where the hell were you?"

"Long story," Huck said as he motioned Nibs over. "Tom, I got something to tell you. You ain't gonna like it, but-"

"You're queer, I already know," Tom smiled as he noticed the look Huck was giving to the other boy. "You think your best friend's not gonna be able to tell somethin' like that? I don't care who you like, Huck, you just be true to yourself."

Not too far away, Dorothy was starting to wake up.

"Great, you're awake," Bastian said. "Now we can start to-"

Dorothy grabbed Bastian and flipped him onto his back. "Who are you? How did you get us here?"

"It's alright, your highness, they're friends," Tom said as he stood up. "These are the guys I was telling you about. Well, Huck and Bastian, anyway, I don't know who the rest of them are."

"We'll tell you both the story along the way," Bastian said. "Right now we need to get to the Witch's castle to get AURYN back before this situation gets any worse."

Bastian looked up at the swarm of monkeys who were already beginning to terrorize Oz.

"Not that I could picture this getting any worse,"

* * *

At the Witch's castle, the Wicked Witch of the Southwest was starting to harness all of her dark magic to open the portal between worlds.

"Now, which world should I enslave first?" the Witch asked as she looked through her crystal ball. "Perhaps the place where AURYN originated. Ah, Fantasia, such a lovely world. At least until I get ahold of it."

* * *

In Fantasia, the Childlike Empress sensed the Witch's plan, just as Falkor arrived.

"We must hurry," the Childlike Empress told the Luck Dragon. "Go find Atreyu. It is time that he joined the fight. The Wicked Witch is wasting no time, we must protect Fantasia if she comes."

"What about Bastian?" Falkor asked.

"I still have faith that he will come through," the Childlike Empress told him. "He always has, but without AURYN he will need every ounce of help his friends can summon. The coming battle will not be easy, but we must hurry if Fantasia, as well, as the rest of the worlds, are to survive."

* * *

"There's the castle," Dorothy said as she led the group. "A direct invasion would not be wise since we don't have much in the way of power. But I do know another way in."

"Are you sure all of us should go in at once?" Nibs asked. "I mean, sending all you soldiers in at the same time doesn't seem wise."

"What do you suggest?" Bastian asked.

"I say Dorothy take a small group in," Nibs told him. "Another group provides a distraction to keep her off guard. And a third group tries the direct approach."

"Alright," Bastian told her. "Dorothy, you take Tom and Huck and go in through the back. Nibs, you take Mike and Terrance and try the direct approach while George and I will provide the distraction so all of you can get in."

"Be careful, Bastian," Huck told him. "We'll see you soon."

The group split up as Bastian and George walked toward the castle. George held out his wand started a fireworks show as the Wicked Witch approached the balcony.

"The boy who allowed me to take possession of AURYN," the Witch cackled. W"hat a pleasant surprise."

"We're here to take AURYN back!" Bastian shouted. "Just hand it over and we'll go away peacefully!"

"You know the funny thing about peace?" the Witch asked as something landed with a thud behind Bastian and George. "It's overrated."

The two young men turned around, and just as George raised his wand, he was immediately swatted away. George hit a tree and had been knocked out instantly. Bastian stared up at the eight-foot creature. He looked like a horrific combination between a werewolf and a yeti.

"What the hell are you?" Bastian asked with fear in his voice.

"You mean you don't recognize him?" the Wicked Witch asked. "Say hello to your friend, I believe you call him... Tiny Tim!"

The creature just roared at Bastian as it raised its hand to attack.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	13. Annual 1

**Knights of the Neverending Story Annual #1**

**"Without You"**

_*This story takes place during Knights of the Neverending Story #11_

The Battle of Hogwarts had destroyed many lives and altered many others. But in the end, evil had been vanquished and order had been restored to the wizarding community. But while many of those who had lost a loved one would find a way to soldier on and go on with their lives, one person, in particular, had given up on everything.

After the funeral of his identical twin brother, Fred, George Weaselly had lost all willingness to go on. The once cheerful ginger headed young man no longer smiled; he no longer wanted to run the self-started business that he and his brother had put their heart and soul into; he barely even wanted to get out of bed anymore.

It had fallen to his parents and siblings to keep his business running, and of them, only his brother Ron seemed to have fun selling the pranks, jokes, and other assorted oddities that the little shop had to offer. All while George just remained at home, wishing he'd have been able to share his beloved twin brother's fate. His brother, his best friend, his soulmate. He'd been taken away unjustly and there was nothing anyone could do to bring the young man back.

One morning, months after Fred's death, George was staring at himself in the bathroom mirror. His hair had grown long and shaggy.

"You look horrible, George," the reflection said. "That hair doesn't suit you."

George recognized the tone of the voice as he stumbled back. "F- Fred?"

"Who else did you expect, Harry bloody Potter?" the reflection asked. "Come on George, get your ass up already. You're letting Ron run our business, he's probably eaten all the chocolate frogs by now."

"You can't be real," George said as he put his hands on the sink and stared down. "I'm going crazy."

"Are you?" the reflection asked. "Go ahead, ask me something only Fred would know."

"I can't. Everything Fred knows, I know. We never had any secrets from each other, we kept everything from Ron."

"Oh, yeah. But trust me, I'm me."

"But if you're you, why aren't you here instead of talking through my reflection?"

"Probably because I died and I don't have a body."

"So, if you're... you, I can bring you back," George said. "I can make you live again."

"Maybe, but that's some serious dark magic. You'd be hanged if you tried to do that."

"Then how do I get you back on this side?" George asked as a pounding came at the door.

"Well, go on," the reflection told him. "I'm not going anywhere."

George rushed downstairs and opened the door, seeing a teenage boy standing there. From the way he was dressed, he was obviously a Muggle.

"You have to be kidding me," the boy said. "I was expecting Harry Potter or Hermione or even Neville. Wait, are any of them here?"

"No, it's just me, thanks for the kind words," George said as he started closing the door.

"Wait!" the boy said. "If it's just you, then you're the one we were sent to get. My name is Bastian Balthazar Bux, and I've been sent from Fantasia to recruit a wizard."

"Then you really have got the wrong guy. I'm not a wizard anymore."

"Please, I know about Fred, I know about the Battle of Hogwarts, I even read the Cursed Child. You are a great wizard, George. Let me explain."

George just sighed as he opened the door and let Bastian in.

"It all started with a book called the Neverending Story..."

* * *

A short while later, Bastian had told George about the Wicked Witch of the Southwest trying to claim AURYN and of his and his group of friends going from world to world trying to find a way to stop her.

"The Childlike Empress said we were to find a wizard here, one who could help us fight the Wicked Witch," Bastian said. "You might be the only one powerful enough to stand up to her."

"You've got the wrong guy," George told him. "I can't help you."

"But without you-"

"I'm sorry," George said as he pushed Bastian toward the door. "Good luck with your war."

George closed the door as he passed by the hallway mirror, looking at his reflection.

"Did you not hear what he said?" the reflection asked. "This AURYN thing sounds all-powerful. Maybe it can bring me back."

"How do we know it's not some kind of dark magic?" George asked. "You could come back a soulless zombie or worse. You could come back and be the next Voldemort."

"Or you could have your best friend back," the reflection told him. "Things could be normal for us again. Isn't that what you want? Isn't that what we want?"

George just stared out the window. He quickly got dressed and rushed out to where Bastian was standing around a well with Huck Finn, Mike Teavee, Terrance the Fairy and Nibs of the Lost Boys.

"I'm in," the young wizard said.

"What made you change your mind?" Bastian asked.

"Because you might be able to give me something I want. I want my brother back. If I help you, I want you to use this AURYN thing to bring Fred back."

"Bastian, a word over here?" Huck asked as he led Bastian away from the others. "Can you do that?"

"You saw what happened in Neverland with the Lost Boys," Bastian said.

"You also had more powerful magic helpin' you," Huck said. "This is dark stuff we're talkin' about here. Voodoo level stuff. You don't go messin' with that kind of dark magic."

"What other choice do we have, Huck?" Bastian asked. "We need this guy to stop the Wicked Witch. It'll all work out, I hope."

"What do you mean you're out of fairy dust?" Mike asked as he held Terrance upside down and gently shook him. "Come on, man, give up the stuff!"

"We're not in Neverland, and I don't have an endless supply!" Terrance shouted as Bastian and Huck returned. "Besides, I might have... relieved myself of the last of it while I was being chased by that owl."

"Without fairy dust, our new friend can't fly with us to Oz," Bastian said.

"Uh, guys?"

"Maybe we can fly back to Fantasia. It's connected to Neverland now, we can gas up and be on our way in no time," Nibs suggested.

"Guys?"

"Ain't no time for that, the Witch is gonna make her move any minute now," Huck told them. "Maybe we should-"

"GUYS!"

All heads turned toward the newest member of their group.

"I have an idea. But first, do we have a deal?"

All eyes fell to Bastian, who took a deep breath. "We have a deal."

The two shook hands, with Bastian wondering if he could make good on his promise to bring Fred Weaselly back to life...

* * *

**"You Can't Do That On Teavee"**

It was the morning of the chocolate factory tour, and four of the five golden ticket winners were waiting eagerly outside of the gates of the factory. Charlie Bucket, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beuroguard and Veruca Salt all had their tickets in hand, while their guardians stood behind them. The only one who wasn't in attendance was one Mike Teavee, although his mother had shown up to see if the boy had come to the factory on his own.

In reality, young Mike had disappeared in the middle of the night, having been spirited away by Peter Pan in a misguided attempt to rebuild his group of Lost Boys after the previous group had been slaughtered by Captain Hook.

"I thought there were supposed to be five of us here?" Charlie asked as he looked around.

"Who cares? More chocolate for me," Augustus said.

"Grandpa, do you think something happened to the other kid?" Charlie asked his grandfather. Out of the large group there, only Charlie seemed to be expressing concern for the missing boy.

"I'm sure he's fine, he probably just got wrapped up watching t.v. or something," Grandpa Joe told him. "Don't worry about it, Charlie, just focus on enjoying the tour and winning that prize."

Veruca also noticed Mike wasn't there and started scheming to herself. "If one of them has been eliminated already... Daddy, I have an idea."

"Yes, dear," Mr. Salt said in a nervous voice. "Whatever you want, dear."

A few minutes later, the gates opened as one Willy Wonka came out to greet his guests. His smile momentarily turned upside down when he took count of the kids.

"Only four? Where's the fifth?" Wonka asked. "Okay, I can work with this. It's only one child, how that possibly ruin the tour?"

* * *

Wonka led the children and their parents into the factory, and after the introduction brought them all to the edible wonderland where the chocolate river was located. The children and their parents all began to explore, eating whatever they could find in the room. That was when Augustus saw the chocolate river and began drinking from it.

"Oh, no, you mustn't-" Wonka told him before Augustus fell into the river.

"We have to help him!" Charlie shouted as he tried to reach toward the boy. That was when Veruca saw her chance to get rid of two birds with one stone. She pretended to trip, knocking Charlie into the river, just as Augustus was sucked into the tube.

"Charlie!" Grandpa Joe shouted. "Someone help him! Charlie can't swim!"

Charlie quickly began sinking as the Oompa Loompas quickly rushed in and tried to get to Charlie before it was too late. Meanwhile, Veruca was standing back, smirking to herself.

"Three down, one to go,"

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

**"The Littlest Cupid"**

Terrance flew into the hidden lair of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, having made sure the coast was clear. The small fairy dragged a piece of bread along with him as he landed on the bed.

"Nibs? I brought you some food," Terrance said. "It's not much, but the pirates had fresh baked bread, so I got you the biggest piece I could carry."

Nibs stood up from where he had been staring at the wall. He had a chain around his ankle as he walked toward the bed and picked up the bread.

"Thanks, Terrance, I don't know what I'd do without you," Nibs said as he sat down.

"You should try to escape," Terrance said. "There are no more fairies and no more Lost Boys. And Peter's probably not coming back. You and I could just... go away. Try to find a new home."

"Neverland's the only home I've ever known," Nibs told him. "Besides, even if we did run away... It'd always just be the two of us. You're my closest friend, but sometimes I feel like I want... more."

"You mean like... a soulmate?" Terrance asked.

"Someone I can, you know, hold hands with," Nibs blushed . "Maybe just hold me while we look at the stars. So, yeah, a soulmate I guess."

"The fairies have, well had, a spell that's designed to bring soulmates together," Terrance told him. "Maybe if we used it, your soulmate would come to you. Then would you leave Neverland?"

"Yeah, I guess," Nibs told him. "It's at least worth a shot."

* * *

Terrance returned with all the ingredients for the spell, placing them on the floor. Nibs started mixing them into a bowl as Terrance lit a candle before landing on Nibs' shoulder.

"Now what?" Nibs asked.

"Now I add the fairy dust, and then have to say what you want in your soulmate," Terrance told him. "Be specific."

Terrance tossed some fairy dust into the bowl as Nibs closed his eyes.

"My soulmate has to be strong, but sensitive. They need to have a huge heart and be very brave. And... they have to love me with everything they have and more. My soulmate will never let me feel like I'm alone."

"I think that's it," Terrance told him. "If your soulmate is out there, they'll come to you within three full moons."

"The first full moon is tonight," Nibs said. "Do you think they'll like me?"

"No, whoever your soulmate is... they're gonna love you."

* * *

Weeks later, the second moon came and went, and Nibs watched the stars every night, hoping that his soulmate would come soon. Terrance still came to visit him, but Hook was increasing his hunts to seek out whoever was left in Neverland, which meant Terrance had to go into hiding. And Nibs refused to believe Peter wasn't coming back, so he remained chained to the wall. His only hope was that his soulmate would come to rescue him.

A month and a half later, the third moon came, with Nibs watching the sky the entire night, knowing that someone who loved him would come soon. The following morning, Nibs woke up slumped against the wall. He jumped up and searched around.

"Hello?"

There was no answer. Nibs was all alone in the Lost Boy's lair. His soulmate hadn't come like he was promised. Maybe... no one loved him.

* * *

It was another few weeks later when Tiny Tim and Huck Finn had stumbled upon the hidden lair while in search of Bastian. While both boys had wanted to help Nibs, he still had a glimmer of hope that his soulmate would still come for him. It wasn't long before Peter Pan finally did return, with Nibs convincing his new friends to flee before Peter found them.

"Come on," Huck whispered to Tiny Tim as they started making their way out. As they were almost out the door, Nibs grabbed Huck's hand, feeling the warm skin of another after a very long time of being alone.

"Huck, there's a large elm tree by the shore, just straight forward from here and you'll find it, I'll see you there," Nibs told him as he continued to hold Huck's hand. Huck just smiled a little before Nibs finally let go and watched his new friends leave.

And that's when Nibs started to realize that maybe, just maybe, his soulmate had come for him...

* * *

**"The Collector"**

The door to Correander's Book Shop opened, with the bell on the door alerting the owner to a new customer's arrival. Correander was sitting at a table, reading his personal copy of 'Charlie &amp; The Chocolate Factory", but this version was turning out to be wildly different from the version he remembered.

"Can I help you?" the store owner asked.

"Perhaps," the man in a long black overcoat and gloves asked. He had a large black hat on his head, with the brim obscuring his face. "I'm looking for a particular book. A very rare copy. I understand you specialize in... rare copies."

"I have many rare and first editions," Correander told him. Perhaps a copy of 'Moby Dick' from the first edition printing?"

"I'm thinking of something a little rarer," the man said. "I'm interested in.. The Neverending Story."

The man raised his head, revealing his face as Correander reeled back in shock.

"You. It can't be."

"What's the matter? Surprised to see me?" the man asked with a hideous grin.

"The Neverending Story is no longer your story, nor is it mine," Correander told him.

"Yes, I know, the story is now being told by a young man named Bastian, I've seen his story firsthand," the man said. "I've seen that he is not worthy of the Neverending Story, nor the power of the AURYN. The boy has constantly fouled things up."

"As did I, and as did you," Correander reminded him. "No human who enters the Neverending Story gets everything perfect, you know that. He will learn his way."

"His way has led to a witch getting ahold of AURYN," the man said. "It is time for the Neverending Story to be taken out of his hands. I will have the book."

"No, you won't," Correander told him. "The book has chosen a new reader, and someday it will choose yet have no power here. Leave my store."

The man just flashed a quick grin as he blew some dust off of a book. "Very well. But the book will be mine. And when it returns to me, pray that your precious new protector is well out of its pages."

The man left as Correander went to lock the door. For the first time in a very long time, he had been scared. Not only for the world of Fantasia but for Bastian Balthazar Bux.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


End file.
